Teen Wolf: Hideaway
by MarthaJonesFan
Summary: After a mysterious werewolf turns up on Scott's doorstep, he makes it his mission to find out exactly who he is and why he's on the run. Meanwhile, Liam makes new friends in the shape of some outsiders, but is there more than meets the eye? This is a sequel to my previous story, Teen Wolf: Sabotage, and is set in place of season 6B.
1. Heal

"What...what do you want?" Scott asked in astonishment. On his doorstep was a boy, 18 or so Scott thought, stark naked, looking dazed but also very worried.  
"Hide me. Please, Scott McCall" replied the boy – named Thomas – as his eyes glared a deep shade of blue.  
"Come inside" Scott commanded, as Stiles took off jacket and gave it to Thomas to preserve his modesty.  
"Get him upstairs. I need to talk to mom" Scott ordered Stiles and Lydia.  
"Scott, what's happening?" Liam called over from across the room.  
"Err, nothing, I'll be back in a minute" lied Scott. He went into the kitchen, where Melissa was washing up.  
"Just put the empty glasses on the surface will you honey?" Melissa asked, hearing Scott's footsteps but without turning around.  
"Mom" Scott spoke, reluctantly. He was still gathering his thoughts, processing what had just happened, "I need to tell you something." Melissa turned around, suddenly feeling a sense of worry in her gut.

* * *

 ** _Heal_**

* * *

 _Two and a half months later..._

Beep beep! Stiles' alarm sounded from his phone, as it vibrated like there was no tomorrow on his bedside table. He was lying face down on his pillow, enjoying his sleep too much to care about his alarm.  
"Morning!" came a perky voice to Stiles' right. He rolled himself over and saw Lydia with a mug in her hand.  
"Uh" a barely awake Stiles slurred.  
"I brought you a coffee" Lydia continued.  
"Err, thank you" a dazed Stiles tried his best to show gratitude, "What's this for?"  
"I wanted to show you how much I love you" Lydia smiled.  
"And the rest?"  
"Stiles are you doubting me?" Lydia almost seemed offended.  
"I've known you since third grade Lydia, I know exactly when you're lying" Stiles explained. Lydia sighed.  
"I couldn't sleep. It's like something was blocking me" Lydia opened up.  
"Like what?" Stiles asked as Lydia sat next to him on his bed. He stroked her cheek to calm her down.  
"I don't know" Lydia stared into Stiles' eyes, looking terrified. He pulled her towards him and embraced her in a hug. Stiles was trying to stay strong for Lydia but he had a sinking feeling in his stomach, because Lydia's premonitions never led to something good...

The familiar sound of the school bell rang through Liam's ears as he strolled into the science lab for his first lesson of the new school year. He hadn't missed the walls covered in posters with information he'd read over and over when bored in the lesson, or the soul-crushing glances towards the clock, hoping it was nearer to home time than it actually was. The seat next to him was empty; everybody knows that the seat next to Liam is where Hayden sits, but she wasn't in sight. In fact, Liam had barely seen her all summer. She'd shut herself off from the whole world, and now he was left stumped as to what to do. She wouldn't answer his calls, and when he arrived at her house, her older sister simply turned her away. He was downtrodden.  
"Can I take this seat?" came a voice to his right. Liam snapped out of his own thoughts and back into reality.  
"Sure" he said, without really looking. He finally looked to his right afterwards, and saw it was Nolan, a young-looking lad from his year group. The two had never really spoken – Nolan was quite the outcast from the rest of his peers – but Liam thought he was friendly enough. Mason sat directly in front, and gave a look of confusion as to why Liam had allowed someone to sit in Hayden's seat.

"Have you packed your underwear? I'm not driving all that way to bring it to you!" Melissa stressed,, as Scott was cramming as much as possible into a relatively small suitcase.  
"Mom, trust me, I've got it all covered" Scott was relaxed despite his mother's stress. He shut his suitcase and attempted to zip it up, but it was a struggle to get it even halfway round due to the huge amount of stuff inside.  
"I'll find you a bigger case, I must have one somewhere" Melissa rushed off.  
"Mom!" Scott tried to stop her, but it was too late. He tried squeezing the suitcase shut again, even while sitting on top, but nothing would work and eventually the zip itself broke. Scott sighed in frustration – he wanted everything to be perfect as he goes to university but worry was beginning to take its hold. A giggle came from the doorway. Scott turned around in a flash, startled, but was relieved to see it was only Thomas.  
"You laughing at me?" Scott asked, being friendly. Thomas simply smiled an innocent smile. He was much more presentable now, wearing some of Scott's clothes, with his long dark wavy hair resting on top of his shoulders.  
"Come in" Scott gestured to Thomas, and sat on the end of his bed, leaving a space for his new friend to sit next to him. Thomas perked himself down and looked at Scott, ready to listen.  
"You know you can talk to me about anything, right?" Scott asked. Thomas nodded.  
"You'll need to tell me who you're hiding from eventually" Scott continued. Thomas looked ahead, avoiding eye contact with Scott.  
"I'm going to college soon, I'm not gonna be around to protect you" Scott explained. As if he were about to speak, Thomas turned to Scott and opened his mouth.  
"I've found it!" Melissa interrupted, storming into the room with a large suitcase. Thomas stopped in his tracks.  
"Thanks mom" Scott smiled, and started transferring his clothes from the now broken small suitcase into the larger one.

Ring ring ring! The school bell sounded as lessons finished and it was lunchtime. Mason and Corey sat with Liam in the lunch hall.  
"So what's up with you and Nolan?" Mason directed his question at Liam.  
"What do you mean?" Liam was taken aback by the question.  
"Well you didn't think twice about letting him sit in Hayden's seat, that's pretty significant, for all you know she could've turned up today" Mason justified.  
"I think we all knew she wasn't gonna come to school. She's not spoken to any of us all summer" Liam was downtrodden.  
"Nolan though, I mean, him and his little crew of geeks over there" Corey glanced to his right to see Nolan and his two friends at the opposite end of the lunch hall.  
"He's not so bad. We didn't really talk but he seems nice" Liam defended Nolan.  
"Everyone else says he's a psycho" Corey continued.  
"Just be careful, that's all we're saying" Mason added.  
"It's none of your business" Liam was fed up of his friends interfering and began eating his lunch. Mason and Corey looked at each other, giving one another the knowing look of despair.

"You can't stay here forever" Argent whined as Maddie slammed the fridge door shut. She was in the middle of making herself a cup of coffee.  
"Want one?" she yelled to Casey, who was sat at the dining table across the room.  
"Sure" he responded.  
"Are you listening to me?" Argent continued. He'd had to put up with Casey and Maddie staying at his place, alongside Isaac, and was fed up.  
"I can't exactly miss a voice as loud and as obnoxious as that" Maddie retorted.  
"Excuse me? This is my house, you're unpaid guests; a little respect wouldn't go amiss. What happened to this being a temporary measure?" Argent ranted.  
"It is, we're working on it" Casey jumped in.  
"What's going on?" Isaac queried as he entered the kitchen, having heard the noise.  
"I was reminding your friends of our agreement when they moved in" Argent explained.  
"It's not been that long, besides, we're not even gonna be here 'til spring break after the next few days" Isaac rationally justified. Argent gave up, and left the trio to it.  
"You heard from Scott recently?" Maddie interrogated Isaac.  
"Not for the last few days. Why?" Isaac responded.  
"We were trying to arrange a final date night before college" Maddie was upset.  
"He's been pretty busy, what with that Thomas kid still being around, and his college packing" Isaac explained.  
"I'll tell you what, let's head round later" Casey suggested, to cheer Maddie up. She smiled and nodded. Maddie had fallen pretty deeply in love with Scott. She loved his authority and wisdom, but also how gentle he was, and he never failed to make her laugh when they had a date night in town.  
"You just want to flirt with Thomas don't you?" Isaac saw through Casey's cunning plan.  
"Nothing gets past you" Casey laughed. Maddie whacked him on the leg.  
"I see your motives" she scowled, but he continued laughing.

Strolling the corridors of Beacon Hills High School was something Stiles hadn't really missed, and he'd hoped he'd never see the long lines of blue lockers, or hordes of hormonal teenagers moving from one class to another. However, he found himself revisiting the place he spent four years wanting to get out of, as he walked behind Lydia and Natalie as they talked.  
"Honey you're leaving in a few days, are you sure you want to help out here?" Natalie asked her daughter.  
"I've spent the last two and a half months procrastinating with Stiles, I want to do something useful" Lydia protested. She was hoping she could offer a hand around the school to keep herself busy.  
"Is everything alright? You look tired" Natalie interrogated.  
"Thanks a lot" Lydia remarked, offended, "But I'm fine, I promise." Natalie pondered for a minute.  
"Alright, I'll find you something to do around here" Natalie gave in, "These papers could do with sorting out. Stiles..." Stiles looked up in a rush, not having been listening.  
"I'm sure Coach could do with some help with the lacrosse team" Natalie suggested.  
"I...I only came here with Lydia" Stiles tried to worm his way out of it.  
"No ifs or buts, I'm fed up of you lounging around my house like a layabout" Natalie argued back. Lydia was trying to hold back her laughter as Stiles slumped off in the opposite direction.

Liam slammed his locker door shut as he got changed into his lacrosse clothing. Nolan popped up beside him.  
"Hey" he smiled.  
"Hi" Liam replied unenthusiastically. Nolan stood there, without saying anything else. Liam continued, "Was there something you wanted?"  
"Oh, I was wondering if you fancied hanging out with us later" Nolan offered politely.  
"Who's 'us'?" Liam queried, still not sounding all that interested.  
"Daan, Cody, and I" Nolan smiled. Liam glanced at Mason and Corey, who were stood a few metres away, watching as if they were keeping an eye out.  
"Alright" Liam agreed, as if to prove a point more than anything else.  
"Great, see you after practice" Nolan walked off, but Liam wasn't on his own for long. Mason and Corey walked up and stood either side.  
"What are you doing? Did you not listen to a word we said?" Mason interrogated into Liam's left ear.  
"He's shifty" Corey complained into his right ear.  
"Will you two shut it?" Liam yelled. The entire lacrosse team stopped getting dressed and stared at an angry Liam.  
"What the hell is going on?" Coach bellowed as he walked out of his office, "Dunbar, what's the problem?"  
"Nothing Coach" Liam reluctantly responded.  
"Good, I've got enough of a headache without teenage hormones making it worse. Now, we've got an assistant coach joining us today. He was the bane of my life for four years and now he's back to torment me again. I must have done something really bad in a past life. Anyway, Coach Stilinski is joining us today and whatever he says is final, got it?" Coach shouted his entire speech at the team, while Stiles stood sheepishly in a waterproof jacket complete with whistle around his neck. The team nodded in agreement and rushed out onto the pitch.  
"Coach, are you sure you want me here?" Stiles asked, trying to escape.  
"Stilinski, when have I ever wanted you here? Today is no different, but I was brought up to like it or lump it. Now get out on the field!" Coach ordered, blowing his whistle. A disgruntled Stiles left the locker room.

"He's still not saying anything, I'm kinda worried" Scott spoke to Malia quietly from his kitchen. Thomas was the subject, and had been the subject of most of their chats for the past two and a half months.  
"If he's not said anything, what do you have to be worried about?" Malia tried to ease his fears.  
"When he arrived, the first and only thing he said, was about hiding him, but from what?" Scott carried on.  
"You'll have to hide him from me if he stays here rent-free any longer" Melissa interrupted.  
"What do you expect me to do mom?" Scott was frustrated.  
"I don't know, you'll find a way" Melissa tried to calm him down with a smile and a kiss on the forehead, before getting a bottle of pop from the fridge and leaving the room.  
"I suppose you could..." Malia began to make a suggestion but stopped herself, "...Never mind."  
"No, what is it?" Scott asked.  
"It's too risky" Malia worried.  
"Reading his memories" Scott identified what Malian was talking about, "It's our only hope. Besides, it's never gone wrong before."  
"Yet" Malia was pessimistic. The duo headed upstairs, but not before Thomas scuttled back up himself. He'd perched himself on the staircase, out of view but in a perfect position to hear what Malia and Scott were discussing...

Outside Scott's house, Isaac's car pulled up. Maddie was sat to his right in the passenger seat, with Casey in the back middle seat.  
"I'm not so sure this is a good idea. What if he's out?" Maddie doubted herself.  
"He's here, I can smell his scent" Isaac identified.  
"Why are you chickening out? You were keen earlier. In fact, keen's an understatement" Casey remarked.  
"Alright, I get it" Maddie disapproved of Casey's light-hearted tone, "I really like him, is that so bad?"  
"Of course it's not, you've gotta go for it" Casey took note of Maddie's disapproval and was sure to voice his support.  
"He's not murdered anyone, which just about fits your criteria" Isaac retorted. Maddie rolled her eyes and stepped out of the car, slamming the door behind her. Isaac and Casey let out a guilty laugh, before sheepishly following her. Maddie pressed on the doorbell, before impatiently waiting for the door to open. She was worried – she was really into Scott and didn't want to lose any chance of further dates so soon. Melissa opened the door.  
"Maddie, hi" Melissa greeted, with a smile.  
"Hey" Maddie replied, frozen on the spot. A few seconds passed of the duo looking awkwardly at each other.  
"Anything you wanted or is that all?" Melissa broke the silence.  
"Err, yeah. Is Scott here?" Maddie finally asked.  
"He's upstairs, head on up" Melissa moved out of the way as Maddie rushed her way upstairs, while a cautious Isaac and Casey followed.

Meanwhile, the lacrosse pitch was filling up as Coach and Stiles were surrounded by teenage boys in red attire and helmets.  
"Alright you bunch of losers, not all of you are gonna make first line. If you're successful, you get to play and be a part of the action. If you fail, well, you're gonna be bored all season and be sat on the sidelines with me, and trust me, nobody wants that. I certainly don't, with a team as crap as this" Coach ranted as always, "Coach Stilinski is going to monitor proceedings."  
Stiles looked horrified at the amount of responsibility he had, particularly as he knew he was never the best lacrosse player. At the edge of the crowd of players was Liam and Nolan, stood at the exact opposite end to Corey. Mason was watching from the sidelines. Just behind him were Daan and Cody, Nolan's best friends. Daan had below shoulder length dreadlocks and was born in the Netherlands, having moved to Beacon Hills just a year before. Cody had dark shaggy hair that went to just above his neck. Both were outcasts from most of their year group, not being considered part of the 'cool' crowd by most, although in Mason's eyes, neither were as weird as Nolan, who he'd been in many classes with at Beacon Hills High School. He was always sat alone, scribbling stuff instead of listening to the teacher, but when prompted, he could recite everything that was just said. Mason could never quite put his finger on it, but something about Nolan never seemed quite right, and he was determined to keep Liam away.

Thomas stood behind Scott's door, out of sight. He had no belongings with him so no need to pack, but he was primed to run. Scott and Malia were on their way, he could hear them getting closer with his wolf hearing. He planned to dash out quickly and quietly once they entered Scott's bedroom, and hopefully never be seen again.  
"He's had two and a half months and your mom's getting annoyed. It's not unreasonable" Malia said. They were at the top of the corridor now, just metres away from Scott's room.  
"I've got a soft spot for him though; he's vulnerable and needs my help. I just wish I knew how I could offer that help" Scott confessed. As he finished his sentence, the duo walked into Scott's room.  
"Where is he?" Malia was shocked to see Thomas not in sight. Thomas slowly crept out from behind the door, before exiting the room. He tiptoed his way out while moving as quickly as possible.

As team captain, Liam was positioned in defence on the field. In front of him was a line of his team mates. Corey was up first, ready to try out for his position on first line. Nolan was stood directly behind.  
"I don't know what your problem is but you better leave Liam alone" Corey threatened, speaking quietly to Nolan without making full eye contact.  
"I don't have a clue what you're talking about" Nolan responded, "He's kind to me. Not many people are. Is that so bad?" Corey didn't respond. Stiles blew the whistle and he began sprinting towards Liam. The ball was cradled firmly in the head of his stick, and he was hoping it'd stay that way until he chucked it towards the goal. Corey's body collided with Liam's, knocking him right out of the way without so much as nudging the ball inside the net of his lacrosse stick. Corey scored with ease while Liam composed himself.  
"Nice job Corey" Stiles shouted.  
"Don't encourage him" Coach complained, "You act like you want them to enjoy it."  
"It's not a torture chamber" Stiles responded.  
"It darn well feels like it" Coach replied.

Starting to run as he got further and further away from Scott, Thomas was almost at the staircase. The front door was just metres away from the bottom of the stairs, and he was almost there. He looked behind to check nobody was following, but before he knew it, he'd crashed into something and fallen backwards onto the floor. He looked up and saw a trio of people.  
"Hey Thomas" Maddie smiled.  
"Where are you heading?" Isaac queried. Thomas stared at them before scurrying past their legs on all fours, then standing up and sprinting for the front door.  
"I'll go" Casey volunteered to round him back up, like he was a parent in charge of supervising a child. He legged it after Thomas. The front door clicked shut, as Thomas shut it behind him. Casey reached it just a second too late, and was slowed down by re-opening the door. In a rush, it took longer than usual to perform a simple task like opening the front door, but eventually Casey composed himself and was able to escape the confines of Scott's house. Thomas was running down the road at a pretty fast speed, but Casey knew just the trick to catch up. He lowered himself onto all fours and ran like an actual wolf, soaring through the air and shortening the distance between himself and Thomas at a rapid rate. When Thomas was just a metre in front, Casey pounced, and landed on top of him. Thomas tried to struggle but Casey had a firm grip on him.  
"How about we have a little chat?" Casey smiled.

Now it was Nolan's turn. He wasn't the most confident when it came to lacrosse, but he had high hopes for himself. Daan and Cody were eagerly watching him from the stands, cheering for their friend. Nolan looked directly ahead, where he saw Liam. He nodded at him, and Liam nodded back. Stiles blew the whistle, and away Nolan went. His nerves turned to adrenaline as he accelerated his speed. He felt great, until there was a huge cracking sound. He'd just smacked into Liam, who was pelted down to the ground with an arm that looked hideously out of place.  
"Liam, oh my god, I'm...I'm so sorry" Nolan stuttered on his words, as he stared wide-eyed in horror at Liam on the floor.  
"I'm OK, I promise" Liam groaned as he tried to sit up.  
"Stay still!" Coach yelled, rushing over.  
"I'm fine Coach" Liam protested.  
"I thought it was broken" Nolan went from feeling horrified to very confused.  
"No, I promise, I'm fine" Liam continued denying the fact that his arm definitely was broken.  
"Alright, show's over guys" Stiles tried to disperse the crowd. Nolan ran back towards the changing room, and kept going despite Liam calling out to him. Nolan wasn't sure what he'd just witnessed, but he was most certainly worried.


	2. Best Friends

Storming into the locker room, Nolan was seeking a minute alone. He was baffled as to what he'd just witnessed. Accidentally, he bashed too hard into Liam. What's more was that his arm was surely broken – a cracking sound that loud followed by the awkward angle his arm landed in, it simply couldn't have been fine. But there Liam was, waving it around like nothing happened. It made no sense. He rested his head against a locker door, trying to gather his thoughts, but his mind was too crowded to process what just happened.  
"Nolan?"  
He turned around, and there stood Liam.  
"What's up?" Liam asked, sympathetically.  
"Nothing, I'll be back in a minute" Nolan was facing the lockers as he spoke.  
"Is something up? Sorry if that freaked you out, but I'm fine, I promise" Liam tried to control the situation. He spoke softly, not wanting to upset Nolan.  
"I'm fine. On second thoughts, I might give practice a miss, but I'll see you after school to hang out" Nolan turned around and began to get changed.  
"Alright, I'll see you later" Liam smiled, leaving the room. Nolan watched him – he wasn't totally sure what Liam was hiding, but he damn well knew he'd figure it out.

* * *

 ** _Best Friends_**

* * *

Down the road from Scott's house, Thomas and Casey were perched on a bench. The road Scott lived on was pretty quiet, so it made the ideal spot for a heart-to-heart. Thomas sat on the left side of the bench, and faced straight ahead. To his right was Casey, who had his phone in his hand. He'd just texted Scott to let him know Thomas was safe and they'd be back soon. He slipped it back into his pocket and looked at Thomas.  
"I get it" he broke the awkward silence, "You're running from something. I know exactly how that feels." Thomas looked at him, knowing what Casey said had struck a chord.  
"What happened?" Thomas asked, speaking for the first time in two and a half months.  
"I faked my own death" Casey confessed. Thomas looked shocked, realising how extreme it was.  
"I know, I know, it's crazy and it was stupid. There's a point to this, though" Casey continued. He placed his hand on Thomas', "I found out in the end that if I confront my fears, with my pack, then I can conquer anything. Sure, I'm not an alpha anymore, but it's a small sacrifice to stay alive." Thomas seemed to have food for thought. He placed his other hand on top of Casey's, as a gesture of good will. They smiled at each other.  
"Let's get you back home" Casey suggested. They stood up and walked back to Scott's house.

Meanwhile, Lydia was sat in her mother's office. She was filing attendance sheets, a hugely tedious task and not quite what she had in mind when she offered to help out at the school. She was sat in the main chair, while Natalie was out of the room. The desk was organised to perfection, with "Principal Martin" spelt out in bold capital letters on her name plaque at the edge of the desk, with her computer screen to the right and pencil pots to the left. Slouched on the soft leather desk chair feeling bored, she picked up the top sheet and stared at it. In a flash, she sat bolt upright, as to her confusion, the top of the paper said "Martin, Lydia". She blinked, feeling almost like she was in a dream, before taking another look. Now all she saw was "Glazebrook, Cody". Thinking she was just tired, after her lack of sleep, Lydia sat back in the chair, before she saw a message on the whiteboard in front of her – "Eichen House 58B". She dropped the piece of paper in her hand and ran out of the school as if her life depended on it.

Sat at a computer in the school library, Nolan was trying to keep a low profile. He logged onto the internet browser, and typed in "broken arm healing instantly". He knew it was a long shot, but there was a slight chance that if he scrolled far enough, he might find someone who's seen the same thing. Sure enough, after half an hour of scrolling through the search pages of Google, Nolan had found a blog post on page 28. Whilst he was relieved at knowing his time wasn't wasted, he was unprepared for what he was about to read...

As they waited for Casey to return with Thomas, Scott and Maddie sat at the edge of his bed.  
"You've not been messaging me much" Maddie spoke, without trying to sound pushy or clingy.  
"Sorry, I've been so busy, what with college and Thomas, and there's Liam who can't get a word out of Hayden. Seemingly the one supernatural power I don't have is to be in two places at once" Scott laughed. Maddie cracked a smile too. A second later, Scott continued, "Is that why you came over? You never said." Maddie blushed.  
"Guilty as charged" she laughed. For a moment, they looked into each other's eyes, before they leaned in and locked lips. Maddie closed her eyes, embracing the moment, as did Scott. They broke the kiss briefly.  
"I've missed this" Scott quietly commented.  
"Better make the most of it before college" Maddie smiled, pulling him back in. However, the kiss stopped for good when a startled Malia walked into the room.  
"Am I interrupting something?" she asked, as Scott and Maddie went red in the face with embarrassment.  
"No, not at all" Scott replied, sharing guilty looks with Maddie.  
"Good. Casey just got back with Thomas. I think he's made progress" Malia announced. Scott perked up, feeling optimistic all of a sudden.

Slamming their lacrosse sticks on the floor, the team crowded back into the locker room. Liam slumped in second from last, behind only Stiles. Stiles tapped him on the back at the doorway.  
"Everything alright man?" Stiles asked, being friendly.  
"Someone could've seen me heal" Liam was still reflecting on his injury earlier.  
"But they didn't. A little positivity wouldn't go amiss, right? Keep it cool, you handled it well" Stiles reassured him.  
"Keep it cool, ha, kinda hard when my girlfriend won't speak to me" Liam was upset.  
"She'll come round in time, I'm sure" Stiles tried to offer advice.  
"How are you sure? How would you like it if Lydia just ignored you for two and a half months?" Liam yelled. Stiles reflected for a second.  
"She ignored me from third grade until sophomore year. I get it" he spoke more solemnly. Liam understood, nodded, and carried on back into the changing room. Nolan was sat waiting for him.  
"Ready to hang out?" he smiled.  
"Can't wait. Where are we going?" Liam enquired.  
"I thought maybe we could head into the forest, find a spot to sit down and get to know each other" Nolan explained.  
"Great" Liam smiled.

Mason and Corey were changing back into their normal clothes in the changing rooms while Stiles and Liam were talking.  
"What's gotten into him?" Corey asked Mason, of Liam.  
"Hayden's really messed up his head" Mason replied, "But I've heard all kinds of things about this Nolan kid, and none of them are good."  
"What if he's actually alright and Liam's just made a new friend? I mean, we're being pretty judgemental, that's not like us" Corey played the devil's advocate.  
"You're right, I just worry for him. If Nolan tries anything weird, Liam won't react well" Mason expressed his concern. They carried on getting changed as Liam walked in. Mason smiled at his friend, and received a half-arsed nod in return from Liam, who was annoyed at Mason's interference earlier.

In the middle of Scott's living room, Thomas was perched on the sofa. Surrounding him were Scott, Malia, Isaac, Casey and Maddie. He glanced up at them all as he waited for the inevitable interrogation. Scott went and sat to Thomas' right.  
"Casey said you guys had a chat" Scott spoke softly, not wanting to sound condescending.  
"You and me, alone" Thomas replied, indicating he wanted the others to leave. Scott looked at the others and nodded. Maddie seemed reluctant at first, not wanting to leave Scott alone, but she followed the others in the end.  
"There was another pack, at the other end of Beacon Hills. My pack" Thomas began.  
"Was, that's past tense" Scott noted.  
"Most of them are dead now" Thomas responded.  
"I'm sorry" Scott was sympathetic.  
"Don't be" Thomas slowly confessed, "It was me who killed them." Scott was taken aback, remembering just how much of a stranger Thomas really is.

Maddie was pacing back and forth in the kitchen. She wasn't trusting of Thomas, or very many people for that matter, so to know Scott was in the next room with a werewolf who had never uttered a word concerned her.  
"Stop pacing, you're stressing me out" Malia muttered.  
"Yeah? Well how do you think I feel? Let's throw your boyfriend in with a weirdo like that, see how you like it" Maddie lost her cool and yelled at Malia. Malia was about to launch herself at Maddie, but Isaac pulled her back.  
"We're not gonna get anywhere by shouting" Isaac said, restraining her.  
"He's not a weirdo" Casey added, trying to defend Thomas.  
"You're only saying that cause you fancy him" Maddie retorted.  
"You've got no idea" Casey replied, annoyed, before storming off upstairs. Maddie rolled her eyes, annoyed that she's falling out with her friends.  
"I'm sorry" she sighed.  
"Don't worry, you're not the only one sceptical of Thomas" Malia responded. At this moment, the doorbell rang. Maddie headed away to answer it, and was greeted by Lydia.  
"I've got a lead" Lydia wasted no time with small talk and cut to the chase.

Evening was approaching in Beacon Hills, and the sky was beginning to darken ready for the night ahead. Stiles walked along a long, ordinary street, and turned into a house situated roughly in the middle. He rang the doorbell and waited patiently for the door to be answered. Sheepishly, the door was opened, and behind it stood Hayden, peeking through the small gap she opened up. Once she saw Stiles, she shut it as quickly as she could.  
"Hayden, wait!" Stiles tried to stop her, but it was too late. Nevertheless, he continued talking, "I'm alone, I just want to talk." Hayden stood on the other side, listening but wary of opening the door. She had no make-up on and was wearing her dressing gown, having barely left her room all summer.  
"Look, Liam's really unhappy without you, and trust me, I know how that feels. He loves you Hayden, and I don't know what's gone on between you, but isn't it worth talking to him?" Stiles tried pleading, aware Hayden would still be able to hear him. He waited a few seconds, and the door in front of his eyes stayed shut, so he turned and walked away. However, a glimmer of hope came when the sound of the latch on the door filled his eardrums, and he turned around to see Hayden stood in the doorway.  
"Come in" she invited.

Twigs crackled under Liam's feet as he and Nolan strolled through the woods of Beacon Hills. Nolan had a torch in hand – it wasn't totally dark yet, but it would be soon, and he always liked to be prepared. They reached a clearing, with two people already sat on the ground.  
"Guys" Nolan spoke as he and Liam approached the duo, "This is Liam."  
"Hi" Liam sheepishly replied.  
"I know who he is" one of them laughed, speaking in a clear Dutch accent. He stood up and shook Liam's hand, "Daan. Nice to meet you."  
"Cody" the other guy smiled, staying sat down, "Drink?" Cody pulled a can of beer out of the bag and offered it to Liam.  
"Might as well" he took the can and sat on the ground also, feeling quite comfortable among the trio.

Malia's car stopped outside a familiar building, one which filled her stomach with dread.  
"Must we come back here?" she groaned as she looked up at the sign on the gate, which read 'Eichen House' in large letters.  
"I can't just ignore a message like that, we need to investigate" Lydia responded from the passenger seat.  
"What is this place? Looks old" Maddie asked naïvely from the back seat. The trio had left Casey and Isaac at Scott's house to watch over his chat with Thomas, and follow Lydia's banshee premonition.  
"An insane asylum" Lydia responded.  
"Oh" Maddie suddenly felt less intrigued.  
"Let's get it over and done with" Malia said, as she stepped out of the car. Lydia and Maddie followed, and together, the trio approached the domineering black gates.

"You killed people?" Scott was astonished by Thomas, a guy who seemed so innocent but obviously was far from it.  
"Let me finish" Thomas said, as Scott was still reeling.  
"Why should I spend time listening to a killer?" Scott was starting to get angry.  
"You wanted answers, I've got more answers" Thomas simply responded. Scott gave a gentle nod for Thomas to continue.  
"I didn't kill anyone out of choice. Another guy in my pack, he forced me. He said if I didn't kill the rest of my pack, he'd kill my parents, and then me" Thomas continued.  
"Why would he do that?" Scott was in disbelief over the entire story.  
"He hated the alpha, always did. He resented being a werewolf, but also, he had mental problems" Thomas continued.  
"I thought the bite cured any illnesses?" Scott queried, intrigued.  
"Everything alright?" Isaac asked, peeping his head around the corner.  
"Yeah. We need to get to Deaton, pronto" Scott replied.

The corridors of Eichen House were all too familiar to Lydia, and it brought back horrible memories of her captivity there. Malia kept a keen eye on Lydia, knowing her history with the place, as well as her own. Maddie however was oblivious, and was taking in her surroundings. They were being guided by a staff member, who was wearing a blue outfit as if she were a nurse. Lydia knew, however, that Eichen House was far from a safe mental institute, even if their practices were technically legal. They stopped in front of a metal gate in the corridor.  
"58B is the third on the right" the nurse advised them, "It's lined with mountain ash, your friends will have to wait here." Malia and Maddie looked at each other, concerned for Lydia's safety.  
"It's fine, I'll go on my own" Lydia reassured them, although she was unconvinced herself.

"So how long have you been over here?" Liam asked Daan, making polite conversation.  
"A couple of years now, not long before I started at Beacon Hills High actually. I'd lived in the Netherlands my whole life, it was scary leaving all of that behind" Daan answered with ease.  
"You made friends easily though, right?" Liam continued.  
"I guess" Daan smiled.  
"Couldn't really ignore a new kid with dreadlocks who can't find his way to math class" Cody jumped in, laughing.  
"Don't diss the dreads" Daan laughed as well, the duo clearly being the best of friends.  
"The dreads are cool, don't worry" Liam went along with them, smiling, before turning to Cody, "What about you, you grow up here?"  
"Yup, been here all my life. Can't escape" Cody replied as he took a sip from his can, "What about you?"  
"Same, got all I need in Beacon Hills" Liam answered. He was enjoying the company, different company at that. During this, Nolan was sat watching Liam, without getting involved. He was fixated on figuring out exactly what Liam was...

Lydia paced herself towards the third cell on the right. First, she passed 56B, labelled clearly on the front of the door. 57B was the next marker, before the 58B sign was staring Lydia in the face. She took a deep breath, before swiping the nurse's keycard into the device to the right of the door. It slid open, and Lydia was faced with a young man in his mid 20s. He had dark floppy hair, and looked as if he hadn't slept in weeks.  
"Hello?" Lydia called to him. He stared at her, without moving. Cautiously, Lydia stepped towards him. Her heartbeat was as fast as a car racing down a motorway, and she was hugely nervous about what could happen. Mentally, she reminded herself of the keycard – she could get out at any point she wanted, so into the cell she stepped.

Perched on the edge of Hayden's bed, Stiles was taking in his surroundings. Hayden's room wasn't particularly girly, but was very neat. Everything had its place, with no clothes lying around, and her desk was organised to a T. Hayden was sat up in the bed, leaning against her pillows.  
"So what do you want?" she asked.  
"Err, I wanted to talk about Liam" Stiles began, "I don't know what's happened between you both, but he's distraught. He's not his usual annoying self."  
"He can cope without me, he's a big boy" Hayden responded nonchalantly.  
"But that's the thing, he isn't. He thinks he's strong and he's coping but he's falling apart Hayden. You're the glue that holds him together. He's fallen out with Mason and Corey now" Stiles continued, pleading to Hayden.  
"That's his problem. He doesn't need me" Hayden continued not showing any remorse, but Stiles knew she was putting on a front.  
"Something's happened, hasn't it?" Stiles asked. Hayden burst into tears, droplets flowing down her cheeks. Stiles moved over and hugged her, calming her down.

Crowded around Deaton's central work desk, Scott, Casey, Isaac and Thomas had arrived to discuss their findings.  
"Beacon Hills may have supernatural beings hidden all over the place" Deaton explained, having heard Scott's explanation of Thomas' situation, "It's no surprise to hear there's another pack at the far end of the town. However, I've not had any encounter with any of them I'm afraid, until Thomas now of course."  
"What about mental illnesses and the bite? We can't get sick, so how can a werewolf be mentally ill, surely it's the same principle?" Casey queried.  
"Not necessarily. The mind works in a different way to a physical scar or an infection. You've met werewolves who have been out of control, but even closer to home, your friend Liam's IED has never been cured" Deaton detailed.  
"So we've got a psycho werewolf on the loose somewhere. Fantastic" Isaac was sarcastic in his tone.  
"What does all of this mean? A werewolf who's mentally unstable, that could mean all kinds of things, right?" Scott asked.  
"Certainly. Mental illnesses take many shapes and forms, it's not always evil or the enemy" Deaton answered.  
"I wish I could be that optimistic" Thomas jumped in. The others looked at him, waiting for him to expand on the subject, "I told you, he's a serial killer, he's dangerous. We can't afford to be nice."  
"That's strange, I thought you were the serial killer considering you actually committed the murders" Isaac retaliated to Thomas trying to direct them.  
"Calm it Isaac" Casey ordered his friend, "We're not gonna get anywhere by arguing over the past. We've gotta track this guy down."  
"And I have his scent" Thomas added.

The laughs continued into the early evening in the forest of Beacon Hills, as Liam was having the best night he'd had in a long time. Hayden wasn't on his mind at all, and the drama with Mason and Corey was a distant memory. Daan and Cody seemed pretty cool and they had a lot in common, and although Nolan seemed quieter than normal, he felt comfortable around him. He cracked open another can of beer, his third or fourth by this point; he wasn't keeping count because being tipsy wasn't an issue as a werewolf. He noticed Nolan staring at him.  
"Alright?" Liam smiled.  
"Yeah" Nolan smiled back. Liam continued drinking, but Nolan wasn't finished. He continued, "I know what you are." Liam was about to take another sip, but put the drink down. Daan and Cody burst out laughing.  
"How many have you had?" Daan joked.  
"Listen to me, I'm being serious" Nolan was desperate for their attention, and to be taken seriously, "He's a werewolf."  
"Seriously man, give it a rest" Cody laughed.  
"I'm not joking!" Nolan was getting annoyed, "I'll prove it." He took a small pocket knife out of his bag, and ran it across the skin on Liam's hand. Liam yelled in pain, whilst Daan and Cody watched in amazement as the open wound, dripping with blood, closed itself within seconds. The duo were speechless.  
"What do you want?" Liam asked, panicked.  
"I want what you've got. Make me a werewolf too" Nolan grinned.


	3. The Bite

_Clouding over and blocking out the light, rain started to pour as Thomas walked home from school. He'd received a detention for talking in class and was late home, well aware he'd face anger from his parents when he arrived back. His dark wavy hair began dripping as the rain splashed on top and trickled its way to the tips below his jawline. He wasn't wearing a coat, and the coat he owned didn't actually have a hood anyway, so Thomas remained unbothered by the water dropping down from the heavens. Nevertheless, he was looking forward to getting into bed for a night of television and relaxation._

* * *

 ** _The Bite_**

* * *

Night time had arrived. The sky over Beacon Hills was pitch black, with only the reflection of the moon and the scattering of street lights to guide Scott, Isaac, Casey and Thomas through the streets. Thomas led the way, insisting he knew the scent they all needed to discover – that of a serial killer werewolf from his old pack. Scott, Isaac and Casey stood a few steps behind, all with varying levels of confidence in Thomas' idea.  
"You think this is gonna work?" Isaac whispered to Scott.  
"I don't know. I've got no reason to not trust him right now" Scott had some faith.  
"Are you for real? This kid's left us as bait for a serial killer for months" Isaac did not share that faith.  
"Scott's right, the only way to find out if you can trust someone, is to trust them" Casey added a few words of wisdom.  
"Is it not a bit dark out here to be wearing rose-coloured glasses, Casey?" joked Isaac.  
"What?" Scott was confused.  
"Is it not obvious?" Isaac laughed. Casey went bright red as Scott looked at them both, before the penny dropped.  
"Oh!" he exclaimed, louder than he should have.  
"I can hear what you're saying you know" Thomas chimed in from in front of them, having used his wolf hearing to listen in to their conversation.  
"You should be focusing on the scent" Scott scolded.  
"I am. It's this way" Thomas said as he led the trio round another in a long line of bends.

"You want what?" Liam was taken aback by Nolan's request.  
"I want to become a werewolf, like you. Just think of all the benefits it gives you. I could have that. We could have that" Nolan tried to justify himself, even including Daan and Cody in his reasoning. The duo were actually sat listening, feeling both overwhelmed and horrified by the discovery of Liam's true identity.  
"You don't want any of that, I promise" Liam shrugged it off, before getting up to leave.  
"Don't go!" Nolan shouted, grabbing his arm.  
"Get off me" Liam hit back, worrying for his so-called new friend. He shrugged his hand away and ran off back home. Cody stood up and rested his arm on Nolan's shoulder.  
"At least you tried" Cody consoled him.  
"I'm not done yet" Nolan responded.

Reaching for the box of tissues on Hayden's desk, Stiles tried his best not to disturb Hayden, who was currently hugging him while crying her eyes out. He grabbed the box, just about, and offered Hayden a tissue. She took one, and another, and dried her eyes, composing herself.  
"Whatever's happened, it's worth talking about, I promise. Heck, I've done some stupid stuff in my time, but Scott's always forgiven me. Not that he's my boyfriend. Although he might as well be" Stiles rambled. Hayden stared at him for a few seconds, building up her confidence.  
"I killed someone" she confessed. Stiles stared at her, wide-eyed, unaware of how to respond to a statement like that – one of the last things he'd have expected to hear from Hayden.

 _Scurrying along, his house in sight at last, Thomas was relishing the fact that he was almost home. The rain was getting heavier, and he was sure he heard the sound of thunder in the distance just two minutes back. Too focused on getting home quickly, Thomas failed to notice a large log in the pathway, and he toppled over it. His hands were in front of his body, cushioning his fall, but that didn't manage to stop the squelch and splash of the wet mud he'd fallen into. Thomas sighed, annoyed that his jeans were ruined. As he was about to stand up, he felt a hand grabbing his leg. He looked around, and saw nothing but a shadowed figure. Terrified, Thomas did his best to wriggle free, but it wasn't enough. He was dragged through the damp mud, splashing into puddles as whoever it was pulled him into the forest. After thirty seconds, it let go, and despite having no idea why it had stopped, Thomas attempted to make a run for it. His plan was thwarted when he felt a surge of pain coming from his right leg, as if he'd been bitten..._

"Who are you?" Lydia asked the man in front of her. He looked incredibly scruffy, like he hadn't showered or changed clothes in weeks, and dead behind the eyes. Once again, there was no reply.  
"You've gotta talk to me. I need your help. I was told to come here" Lydia continued.  
"Told by who?" the man asked, murmuring.  
"Err, myself" Lydia was unsure of how much information to reveal, "In a vision."  
"A banshee" he identified, as he stood up. He walked towards a frightened Lydia, who backed off against the wall. The man stood right in front of her, barely a centimetre between their bodies, and he put his hand on Lydia's cheek. She flinched, not wanting his hand anywhere near her.  
"Who are you?" she asked, avoiding eye contact when he was that close.  
"Jacob Coleman. Werewolf" he spoke in a low tone, barely showing any expression on his face.  
"No offence, but would you mind stepping back?" Lydia spoke with fear in her voice. He terrified every inch of her body as she stood in front of him, quaking.  
"Oh, but you're so intriguing. It's a miracle you aren't locked in this place too" he added.  
"Been there, done that, got the t-shirt" Lydia recalled the horror of her stay at Eichen House, "What's so special about you?"  
"Many things, but considering you're a harbinger of death, I assume my murder tally has brought you here" Coleman spoke without any emotion still.  
"I need you to move away from me" Lydia was scared of what Coleman had just revealed, but when his hand ran down her face, she took a deep breath. In an instant, Lydia released an ear-piercingly loud scream, and Coleman was sent hurtling backwards like an impressively strong gust of wind had smacked into him. Lydia swiped the keycard and ran out of the cell, ensuring the door was closed behind her.  
"Lydia, what happened?" Malia asked as Lydia sprinted back towards the barrier.  
"We need to get to Scott" she responded, confidently despite feeling shaken.

Sprinting through the forest, Liam was panicking. His secret was out, and that wasn't a good thing. What made him feel even worse was the fact that Mason and Corey were right all along. Nolan wasn't right in the head, and Scott had to know. Rain was tickling down, Liam's hair drenched and constantly masking his vision. His heart was beating like crazy, and he was praying that the long forest would come to a close soon. To his delight, Liam saw a clearing, and sure enough, as he approached at rapid speed, he realised it was a road. At the edge of the road, he stopped, gathering his senses to figure out exactly where he was. He took a sniff, and pinpointed a familiar scent nearby, so wasted no time in heading towards it.

 _Pain was all Thomas felt as he limped up the stairs to his bedroom. His parents would surely have noticed the large amount of noise he had made on his way up, but they weren't his main concern. He was covered in mud, his clothes ruined, and his leg was in a huge amount of pain. He got himself undressed, ready for a shower. Carefully taking off his muddy jeans, Thomas saw his leg injury for the first time, and was baffled by how huge it was. Teeth marks had sunk into the bottom of his leg, with blood having squirted out and splattered down around the wounds. It hurt like hell, and he knew showering was going to be pretty painful too._

"I'm confused" Stiles admitted, as Hayden sobbed away.  
"I killed her. Anita, that werewolf girl" she explained tearfully.  
"Parrish said it was an accident" Stiles reflected on what he'd learnt.  
"It was. It was self defence, I swear. I never meant to kill her, but she was gonna kill me" Hayden continued. She struggled to get the words out over her crying, but did her best. Stiles passed her the bin to put her tissues in.  
"You should've told us. We all do stupid things we aren't proud of. Me more than most" Stiles tried to cheer her up. Hayden continued crying, not really taking note of what Stiles had just said, but he continued, "I killed someone in self defence too. He was going to kill me, it was in the school library. He ended up with a metal pole through his chest. It scarred me too, you know." Hayden looked up, as if what Stiles was saying had struck a chord.  
"What did you say to Scott?" she asked, calming down.  
"Nothing at first. He found out from Theo, stirring the pot like he always does. We fell out over it, the only time we've ever fallen out. If I'd just told him in the first place, he wouldn't have been upset, he'd have understood. I didn't even consider that" Stiles reminisced, reliving some painful memories, avoiding eye contact with Hayden. He then looked up at her, into her eyes.  
"You need to talk to Liam. He'll understand, I promise" Stiles urged her.  
"He knows" Hayden informed him.  
"Then what's all this about? He misses you like crazy, I've never seen him sulk so much, and believe me, that's quite something" Stiles lightened the tone.  
"I don't want him to look at me and see me as a killer" Hayden revealed.  
"He couldn't think any better of you if he tried" Stiles consoled her. She smiled, as the weight on her shoulders was lifted. For the first time in months, Hayden felt happy.

Turning another corner, Scott was beginning to get frustrated. Thomas was taking them through all kinds of streets and back alleys, with little to no indication of the ultimate destination. Scott knew Beacon Hills like the back of his hand, and any indicator would've been helpful. This was proved by the building they were arriving at. Staring down at them like an angry teacher was Eichen House. One look at the place sent shivers down Scott's spine.  
"He's in there" Thomas announced as the group stopped walking and congregated.  
"What are we waiting for? Let's go" Casey naïvely suggested.  
"No. We're not going in that place" Scott gave a strict instruction.  
"What is it anyway?" Casey queried.  
"Mental institute. To be honest, I'd rather gauge my eyes out with my claws than go in there" Isaac made his feelings clear.  
"Scott!" came a voice from behind, shouting. Scott spun round, and saw Lydia running towards him, out of the gate, with Malia and Maddie in tow.  
"What are you doing in there?" Scott asked, worried.  
"Investigating. I guess you're here for Jacob Coleman" she directed her attention towards Thomas, who nodded.  
"He's in there, and he's creepy. Like, ten times creepier than any of the other psychopaths we've met" Lydia explained, panting from the running.  
"But you're safe, that's what matters" Scott was relieved, having panicked seeing them leaving Eichen. Maddie rushed over and hugged him, relieved.

 _The next day, Thomas woke up and examined his leg. The injury had almost healed, leaving only a tiny mark. He began to question whether he'd dreamed it all, but the pile of muddy clothes across the room confirmed it did. Baffled, he cast it aside and got ready for another long, tedious day of school. While getting dressed, he took another look at his leg, and ran his finger over where the open wound was located. The skin had healed entirely now, and it didn't hurt him at all. Thomas was baffled, but thought no more of it, until he heard movements coming up the stairs. Instantly, like a reflex, Thomas put his hands against his ears, blocking out the noise. A small, ambient sound had been amplified all of a sudden, and it sounded so loud in his head. The door creaked open, and Thomas' mother poked her head around the corner.  
"Come on honey, time for school" she nudged him.  
_" _I don't feel well" Thomas lied.  
_ " _You can go to school with a cold, hurry up, breakfast's on the table" she continued, barely paying attention to what he'd said. She left the room, and Thomas sighed. He was unsure of why his body was behaving strangely, and he sure as hell wasn't ready for school, but nevertheless, he knew he'd get to the bottom of it._

Panting, huffing and puffing, Liam followed his nose around the dark side roads of Beacon Hills. He was following it so closely in fact that he wasn't paying much attention to his other senses, and until it swerved around the corner, he'd not heard the police car now hurtling towards him. Thankfully, Sheriff Stilinski was much more aware of his senses and stopped the car just in time, just centimetres away from hitting Liam. Stilinski stepped out of the driver's side, while Parrish got out of the passenger side. Liam was not surprised to see them, having sniffed their scent further back, but was slightly shaken after seeing the car coming towards him.  
"Liam, what are you doing out here this late at night?" Stilinski asked, concerned.  
"Nolan, he knows everything, I need to get to Scott, I need..." Liam spoke at a rapid pace, gasping for breath when he could.  
"Woah, slow down. We'll give you a lift" Parrish offered. Liam nodded, accepting Parrish's offer of goodwill.

The noise of chatter was high in Scott's living room, as the reunited pack had assembled together, complete with Stiles having returned from Hayden's house. He scanned the room, but Liam wasn't in sight – not that he was even sure whether to speak to him about Hayden or not.  
"Alright guys, listen in. I know you've all been wondering why Thomas has been here. I'll let him explain why" Scott addressed them, before turning to Thomas, who looked nervous. Casey placed a comforting hand on Thomas', and smiled at him. Thomas felt a rush of confidence through his body, and began to tell his story.  
"I was bitten by the guy you met" Thomas began, looking towards Lydia, "Jacob Coleman. He's my alpha, or was. He lost his status."

 _Five more minutes of walking to school. That's what Thomas kept telling himself, as his tired legs were just about holding him up as he walked. He couldn't feel his feet, but with more concern, he didn't feel any pain from the bite he received the night before. More so, he heard a loud ruffling of leaves behind him the entire way there, but each time he looked around, there was nobody in sight. The ruffling got louder and louder, giving Thomas a headache. He turned around again, and a man stood in the middle of the path. He was in his mid twenties, and had scruffy medium length hair. Thomas jumped, shocked by his sudden appearance.  
_ " _Who...are...you?" Thomas asked, worried.  
_ " _I'm the alpha" Coleman replied, as his eyes glowed a deep red._

"I heard him out, he was pretty vague. I shunned him, and left for school. I didn't see him for another month. His eyes were blue when I saw him again, not red. That's when it all started" Thomas continued.  
"The murders" Isaac remarked, still sceptical.  
"There's more to it than you know, I promise" Thomas protested.  
"Well I'm all ears. You better explain" Isaac threatened.  
Ding dong! The doorbell of Scott's house interrupted Thomas' explanation.  
"I'll get it" Malia offered, as she was sat nearest to the door. She strolled over and pushed down on the handle, being greeted by Liam and Stilinski.  
"One of yours?" Stilinski joked.

The slam of the bedroom door was loud enough to be heard three streets down, but Nolan didn't care. He was angry, and frustrated, and totally confused by what had happened tonight. He trashed his desk, violently shoving all his schoolwork onto the floor, before collapsing onto his bed face first, crying. He was disappointed in Liam, and hoped he'd be enough of a friend to listen to him and hear him out. However, on second thoughts, why should he give up? Nolan was determined to appeal to Liam's heart, and he'd stop at nothing to get what he wants.

"Scott, I need to talk to you. Like, right now" Liam flapped.  
"We're kinda in the middle of something here" Malia was stood next to him and tried to give him a forewarning.  
"It's Nolan" Liam ignored her and continued, "He knows everything, about all of us, and he wants in. He's crazy."  
"Wait, call me ignorant, but who's Nolan?" Casey queried.  
"Hello?" Thomas was getting impatient.  
"Psycho kid from school who just uncovered everything about the supernatural world" Liam spoke quickly, as if he had no time to waste.  
"Ah, this little meeting's going well then" Stiles remarked under his breath. Lydia elbowed him.  
"Liam, can't this wait?" Scott asked politely, barely taking note of what Liam had actually said.  
"I've just ran all the way from the depths of the reserve, I think I've waited long enough" Liam retorted. The volume in the room escalated as everyone began to talk over one another.  
"Enough!" Maddie yelled over the racket. Everyone was silent, and stared at her like naughty school kids who had just been told off, "We've got two situations at hand. Liam, take a seat, we'll get to the Nolan fiasco in time. Thomas, finish your story." Scott smiled, amazed at how assertive Maddie was.  
"Alright. Coleman helped me integrate into the pack, I thought he was being nice. Then he began blackmailing me. Slowly but surely murdering my friends. If I said no, he'd threaten to kill my parents. Until one day, I'd had enough..." Thomas resumed.

" _You want me to do what?" Thomas was outraged at what he'd just heard.  
_ " _I want you to kill David. You'll get so much respect for it, nobody wants him to be the alpha. You've killed before, why not one more time?" Coleman spoke softly, casting a spell of worry over Thomas.  
_ " _I can't kill him, I can't and I won't" Thomas was defiant, a quality he exuded most of the time. However, he'd been killing for months by this point, all on Coleman's orders. If he didn't, he knew what would happen to his parents. Being defiant was a quality he was suddenly losing, as he became Coleman's lapdog.  
_ " _The pleasure I will get from slitting their throats. Oh, I will relish in it" Coleman offered grim details of what he was threatening against Thomas' parents. Thomas was frightened, and shaking. The cogs in his mind were working overtime.  
_ " _No" he spoke defiantly once again, "I won't do it." In a flash, Coleman was gone. Thomas looked around frantically, having lost sight of Coleman.  
_ _"Coleman?" he yelled, worried. His heart sunk, knowing exactly what he had gone to do._

"...then I ended up here. I'm an orphan– no family, no home, no friends" Thomas looked distraught.  
"You've got us" Casey was supportive next to him, "You've got me."  
"Get a room" Stiles joked.  
"Now is it my turn?" Liam impatiently asked.  
"Sure, go ahead" Scott commanded.  
"Nolan asked me for the bite. He wants to become one of us" Liam picked up from where he left off.  
"Only the alpha can pass on the bite" Casey added.  
"I know, but I didn't tell him that. I just ran. I was scared of him, he turned creepy all of a sudden and I didn't know what to do" Liam frantically explained.  
"Where is he now?" Malia questioned.  
"I don't know. I left him there, with his friends"  
"His friends? Do they know?" Lydia continued the interrogation.  
"They do now, but they didn't until he asked me I'm sure"  
"Alright, we'll find him. We need to talk to him, give him a chance to justify himself" Scott decided.  
"But he's psychotic, he invited me out for a drink and a chat, but he had an ulterior motive the whole time" Liam was concerned.  
"It's alright, he can't hurt us. First thing tomorrow, we'll pick him up" Scott decided.

Meanwhile, Eichen House was entering the night shift. The staff were switched, and the lights began to power down. The receptionist was preparing to leave, having worked an exhausting ten hours filing paperwork. Her plans to watch a movie at home, however, were thwarted when the power went out. There was no light, as her computer went dead and the sky was pitch black. Upstairs, Coleman remained unphased as the lights shut off. He stood up, and calmly walked towards the door of his cell. He pressed against it, and applied a small bit of force. Splintering cracks began to form, and within seconds, the glass door shattered into a million pieces. Coleman strolled out unphased...


	4. Instinct

It was that time again. Nolan rolled out of bed after the rude awakening of his alarm clock. Getting ready for school, he sighed, feeling even less motivated than usual to get through the school day. Reluctantly, he showered and got dressed, rushing out of the house without eating any breakfast, and hopped onto his bicycle. As he cycled through Beacon Hills towards the high school, all that was on his mind was Liam. He wanted to apologise and become friends, but nevertheless, he knew he still wanted the bite. As he pulled up to the school, swerving in and out of school kids who weren't looking where they were going, he felt a sense of dread in his stomach. He was scared to face Liam. He took off his cycle helmet once he'd chained his bike to the railing, and was startled as he turned around and saw a guy, who must've been a couple of years older, stood right behind him.  
"Hi Nolan, I'm Scott. I think we need a little chat" Scott introduced himself. Nolan stared back in fright.

* * *

 ** _Instinct_**

* * *

"Are you sure he's telling the truth?" Argent questioned. Lydia and Casey had taken Thomas to Argent's for extra supervision, while Malia and Isaac investigated a call from Eichen House with Sheriff Stilinski.  
"His heartbeat was constant, I paid close attention" Casey responded.  
"Why would he lie? He has no motive" Lydia added.  
"Scott's a true alpha, that's reason enough. It's not the first time somebody's tried to win over his affections only to double cross him" Argent was sceptical.  
"He's been here for months now, surely he would've made his move by now, especially if Coleman's as close as Eichen" Casey was defensive of Thomas.  
"You're seeing this through rose-tinted glasses, Casey. You see the good in people, but sometimes the evil overtakes the good, especially in the supernatural world" Argent spoke wisely.  
"Sure, I like him" Casey admitted, "But I'm a good judge of character. I was an alpha, don't forget. I'm not stupid." Argent stood down, realising he wasn't going to change Casey's ways.  
"I guess there's one way to find out for sure. Do a background check" Lydia suggested.

In the changing rooms, Mason and Corey were getting ready for morning practice.  
"I got a text from Liam last night" Mason began.  
"Don't leave me hanging, what did it say? Grovelling I hope" Corey responded.  
"It just said "sorry", it woke me up at 2am. I forgot to put my phone on silent" Mason explained.  
"Looks like he's regretting it already" Corey seemed pleased.  
"He's not showed up to school though, neither has Nolan. Daan and Cody are over there but there's no sign of him. I'm worried" Mason expressed his concerns.  
"Don't worry, he'll be fine. I'm sure he's with Scott or something" Corey replied.  
"I know, I just wish he'd keep us updated" Mason continued. The duo were interrupted as Cody walked over.  
"Hi, you guys haven't seen Nolan by any chance have you?" Cody asked politely.  
"No, sorry" Mason replied sincerely.  
"I'm kinda worried, he's not been in touch since last night. Things got kinda heated with Liam" Cody detailed.  
"What happened?" Corey enquired.  
"Nolan started talking about werewolves and stuff, I thought he was having one of his crazy moments but..." Cody explained but stopped himself.  
"What? Tell us" Corey ordered.  
"He...he proved Liam was a werewolf" Cody whispered, as if he were sharing his deepest and darkest secret.  
"Liam? Really?" Mason lied, pretending he knew nothing about it.  
"Don't say I didn't warn you. See you later" Cody left the duo on a warning, but Mason and Corey were worried already, knowing that Liam's secret was out in the open.

"Why am I here?" Nolan asked, sounding innocent. However, he knew exactly why, as Liam was stood to his right. Joining him were Scott, Stiles and Maddie.  
"You wanted in, we're here to educate you" Scott reminded him.  
"Just let me go, I promise I won't say anything, I swear" Nolan began to protest.  
"Interesting. By my understanding, you were pretty keen to become a werewolf last night, so what's changed?" Stiles probed.  
"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said anything" Nolan continued, trying to worm his way out of the situation.  
"What's up with him?" Maddie whispered to Liam, noting his slightly conflicting behaviour.  
"I don't know, but this isn't working" Liam replied.  
"Why don't Scott and I have a word? Might be less intimidating with less of us here" Maddie suggested. Liam nodded, and he and Stiles vacated the room.  
"Alright Nolan, it's just us now. Don't be scared" Scott was calm and relaxed. Nolan stared back, still on edge. Scott continued, "So you want to know more about being a werewolf?"  
"I was just curious, I promise. I don't mean any harm" Nolan spoke fast, still worried.  
"We know you don't, and neither do we. We're not the enemy, we're here to educate you" Maddie spoke softly, turning on her charm. Nolan relaxed, ready to listen.

Meanwhile, at Eichen House, Isaac and Maddie carefully approached the domineering front gates. Even in daylight, the large building sent shivers down both their spines.  
"This place seriously gives me the creeps" Isaac stated.  
"Consider yourself lucky you've not been a patient here" Malia responded.  
"Sorry, I forgot" Isaac apologised.  
"Don't worry, I was one of the lucky ones" Malia tried to be optimistic about her past, "Anyway, what are we waiting for? We've got a robbery to investigate."  
"Like TV detectives. I'm Sherlock, you're Watson" Isaac joked.  
"Exactly. Except I'm Sherlock" Malia laughed. The duo approached the front entrance, acting confident to hide their worries about the soul-crushing mental institution.

Making demands, Casey and Lydia were stood in front of Sheriff Stilinski's desk.  
"He's been lurking at Scott's for months, all we need to do is a quick background check. It'll take ten minutes, max" Lydia used her best persuasive skills.  
"You can't just stroll in here and look at personal files" Stilinski was adamant.  
"Aren't you the Sheriff? You can do what you want, we'll just be innocent bystanders" Casey winked as he spoke, putting ideas into Stilinski's mind.  
"Close the blinds" Stilinski approved, setting the plan into motion. Casey shut the blinds, and the duo stood either side of Stilinski's chair as he fetched a large folder from his filing cabinet.  
"Better pull up a chair, this might take a while" Stilinski warned.

"That's about it, do you have any questions?" Maddie calmly stated, having assisted Scott in explaining as much about the supernatural as possible.  
"OK, so do you, like, transform every full moon?" Nolan queried.  
"It's complicated but sometimes, yes. It's about control" Scott responded.  
"That's never been my strong point. I don't think I'd make a very good werewolf" Nolan spoke harshly of himself.  
"Hey, don't say that. Liam, he had to learn control, it took him a while but he got there eventually, and he's amazing at it now" Scott smiled.  
"I mean, I can't even control my own life. Stupid Nolan" Nolan looked frustrated with himself.  
"What's up?" Maddie asked, politely, without sounding intrusive.  
"I guess we all have our problems, but I'm sure I have more than most" Nolan was vulnerable, "I've been to see doctors and consultants more times than I can remember." Maddie pulled Scott away for a private chat, just a few metres away from Nolan but out of his earshot.  
"What's he on about?" Maddie asked.  
"I think he's mentally unstable, and if he wants to become a werewolf, that's gonna be a problem" Scott responded, slightly worried about Nolan's fragile mind.

Just metres away, in the kitchen, Stiles and Liam were reflecting.  
"I was so scared last night, I thought he was gonna hurt me" Liam confessed.  
"Dude, you're a supernatural werewolf with ultra-fast healing powers, and you're scared of a kid giving you a bruise?" Stiles teased.  
"I'm being serious, it was dark in the woods" Liam wasn't in the mood for laughing.  
"It's alright, I get it" Stiles responded, more seriously. A few moments of silence passed, before Stiles changed topic, "I went to see Hayden yesterday."  
"You did what?" Liam was taken aback.  
"She told me, about everything. About Anita" Stiles revealed. Liam was unsure of how to react. He'd not seen Hayden for months, and was feeling emotional at the mention of her name.  
"Did she say anything about me?" Liam asked, keeping calm.  
"She loves you" Stiles smiled, "I mean the soppiness almost made me throw up, but yeah, she loves you. She's just worried about what you think of her."  
"How can I change that? Liam was keen to listen.  
"You've come to the right place, I am an expert in the world of romance. I always knew Lydia would be my girlfriend and look where we are now" Stiles bragged, "You need to create a gesture, something she'll truly appreciate. Something that can prove that you're not phased by what she did." Liam nodded, having been given food for thought. They were interrupted by Scott, who poked his head round the doorway.  
"Guys, I think we're out of our depths here. Nolan's mentally unstable" Scott mentioned.  
"Doesn't take a genius to figure that out" Liam remarked.  
"So we just refuse him the bite?" Stiles suggested, as if it were that easy.  
"I wasn't so keen myself, I was hoping to put him off by telling him the horrible details, but he still seems keen, thinking it'll heal all of his problems" Scott was genuinely worried.  
"I know where we can get help" Liam perked up.

"I've got something!" Casey exclaimed, having been trawling through a large pile of paperwork. Stilinski and Lydia gathered around him, waiting to learn more.  
"He said his name was Thomas Frost, right? There's absolutely no sign of him on his school records" Casey explained.  
"Why would he lie?" Lydia wondered.  
"He's on the run isn't he? Makes sense that he'd use a fake name" Stilinski explained.  
"But that's just it, it's more than a fake name. There are photos of every student from the past few years, and there's not one photo of him. It's more than a fake name – he's lied about pretty much everything he's told us" Casey detailed, sounding worried.  
"So a kid turns up on Scott's doorstep, on the run, and tells him a bunch of lies to allow him to stay" Stilinski summarised.  
"Meaning that everything else he's told us should be taken with a pinch of salt" Lydia added.  
"Including all this stuff about that Coleman guy" Casey was horrified.  
"He's been friendly with you, right? Did he ever say anything that you doubted?" Lydia asked Casey.  
"No, not that I remember. His heartbeat didn't jump once either" Casey replied, before his face turned sour, "I guess he was too good to be true."

Waiting in a damp and dingy warehouse, Liam and Maddie were looking around. They'd only just arrived, and were waiting for one person in particular.  
"Where is he?" Maddie was growing impatient.  
"He said he'd be here. It won't be long now" Liam re-assured her.  
"Didn't think I'd be hearing from you any time soon" came a voice from the shadows. Maddie looked around, startled, and confused as to where it was coming from. Liam looked directly ahead, as footsteps grew louder and louder. Out of the dark, Theo Raeken emerged.  
"Hello Theo" Liam greeted, through gritted teeth.  
"Oh come on, be a little more cheerful, it's like a family reunion" Theo smirked, as he noticed Maddie silently watching him, "And a new face. I don't think we've been introduced."  
"Maddie" she introduced herself. Theo picked up her hand, as if he were about to kiss it. However, before he managed that, Maddie slapped him. Theo stepped back in shock.  
"She's good" Theo commented.  
"She's taken" Maddie retorted.  
"Look Theo, we need your help with a kid called Nolan. He wants the bite, he knows everything" Liam began to explain.  
"Just give it to him, tell Scott to stop being so stingy" Theo replied flippantly.  
"It's more complex than that. Scott's wary at the best of times, he knows the difficulties, but there's more to Nolan. He's mentally unstable, he admitted it himself. We need to show him it's not right for him" Liam pleaded.  
"So you came to me. Show him the very worst of werewolf-kind and he'll be put off" Theo put two and two together.  
"No" Liam responded, "You've been through more than most. Just talk to him." Theo reflected for a second.  
"What's in it for me?" Theo replied.  
"You wanted Scott's trust. This is a massive step forward" Maddie responded.  
"Who says I want anything from Scott?" Theo asked.  
"You helped us with the ghost riders. Something tells me that wasn't a fluke" Liam persuaded.  
"Alright" Theo replied, "I'm in."

Step by step, Malia and Isaac made their way through Eichen House. Lights were flickering on and off rapidly, and the drip-drop of water could be heard nearby. The domineering staircase glared down upon them both, but they faced their fears and headed upstairs. They stepped off the staircase on the second floor and approached the cells.  
"Alright, now I get why this place scares you" Isaac admitted, "I don't get a good vibe at all."  
"Would you expect anything more from a mental institution?" Malia queried.  
"Expect? Maybe not, but I'd certainly hoped for more" Isaac reflected. They approached the mountain ash barrier, which requires a keycard for a human to pass through.  
"How are we getting through that?" Isaac asked.  
"We aren't. We'll send someone else in" Malia suggested.  
"Great idea. Well, it would be, if anybody was actually around" Isaac noticed. He was right, there wasn't another person in sight. Not even anyone unconscious on the floor.  
"Something's definitely up. Let's keep looking" Malia decided, getting her claws out.

Sat opposite Nolan, Scott was feeling sympathetic. Nolan was silent, and hadn't spoken since his confession about his mental illness.  
"Are you alright?" Scott asked him.  
"Yeah. When can I go home?" Nolan nervously asked.  
"Soon, I promise. You're not a prisoner you know, we're your friends" Scott smiled.  
"I know" Nolan nodded, "So how did you become a werewolf?"  
"Well, it's a long story. Stiles and I, well, we were being a bit too nosey for our own good" Scott reminisced.  
"Hey, there's nothing quite like trawling the woods for a dead body" Stiles interrupted.  
"We got separated, it was dark, and I got bitten that night. I was alone and scared" Scott recalled.  
"I think I fit that description" Nolan sounded glum.  
"You're not alone" Liam said from the doorway, "We're worried for you, that's all. I've got someone who'd like to speak to you." He stepped aside, and Theo walked in.  
"Hi Nolan" he said, as his eyes glowed a deep shade of blue.

Casey was feeling upset. He'd had his heart set on Thomas for a while now, and Thomas had even showed the tiniest of signs back, but now he was a massive fraud. He was sat outside Stilinski's office, head in his hands. He wasn't crying, just reflecting. Lydia came and sat next to him.  
"Hey, it's OK, there are so many guys out there. Guys that deserve you more than he does" Lydia tried to cheer him up.  
"I thought he was the one, you know? I've never really been in love, I guess I don't really know what it's like. Besides, the guys I fancy all seem to be straight" Casey laughed.  
"It's alright, my ex is living in London with a man now" Lydia joined in the laughter, "Just hold it together a bit longer. We've got to play it cool, tell Scott and think of a plan of action."  
"Just my speciality" Casey smiled, perking up.

"Do we have any clear plan for him?" Stiles queried, wondering exactly where the Nolan situation was heading. Theo and Nolan had been left alone in the living room, while the rest of the pack congregated in the kitchen.  
"I don't know, I've been playing it by ear. I don't want to bite him, but I guess it depends on Theo" Scott was concerned, because ultimately he had no idea what to do.  
"Great, we're relying on Theo Raeken of all people" Stiles was unhappy.  
"He's trying guys, let's be optimistic" added Liam. The foursome stood in silence, anxiously waiting for the outcome.

Slowly but surely, Malia and Isaac crept down into the basement of Eichen House. There was still no sign of any staff or patients, and the silence was deafening. The basement was blocked by a wooden door, which Malia opened by digging her claws in and pulling it off its hinge, while Isaac stood back, impressed. Together they walked in, using their wolf vision to see clearer in the damp, dingy cellar. However, they didn't get much of a chance to look around, as a loud BANG ruptured through the room. The next thing Malia knew, Isaac was lying on the floor, having been shot. She turned around, panicked, and saw a shadowed figure running off, but it was impossible to tell who it was. Malia tried to run after them, but was sent flying backwards after she ran into what felt like a brick wall. Having rebounded off the wall and onto the floor, Malia wasted no time in getting up, and she went to check the exit again. To her horror, she noticed a mountain ash barrier.  
"Damn it" she shouted, before turning back to Isaac. Kneeling down at his side, she noticed the gunshot wound in Isaac's stomach. A purple glow surrounded it, and Malia knew exactly what that meant.  
"Wolfsbane" she muttered in despair.

"I assume Scott's told you about the benefits of being a werewolf" Theo spoke softly to Nolan, something he wasn't used to doing.  
"Yeah. Enhanced senses, faster running, healing power" Nolan summarised.  
"Great. They sound amazing, right?" Theo did his best to be gentle. Nolan simply nodded in reply. Theo continued, "It's not all good though, and I'm living proof I guess."  
"Tell me" Nolan urged him.  
"I'm a chimera - genetically I'm both a werewolf and a werecoyote. I'm an experiment from some mad scientists known as the Dread Doctors" Theo recalled.  
"Did it hurt?" Nolan asked.  
"I don't know, I don't remember much of it. What hurts more is the fact I'm, well, I'm a murderer" Theo was honest, and his eyes glowed blue, "Blue eyes mean you've taken an innocent life. I've taken more than I can count." Nolan reflected for a second, without saying anything.  
"I guess I can't blame being supernatural for all of that, but it plays with your emotions, the full moon in particular. If you don't know how to control yourself, you could take innocent lives" Theo informed Nolan, who was listening intently.  
"How do I learn control?" Nolan asked.  
"It takes a long time for people to learn, I'm still getting around it myself. However, you have something I don't, and that's Scott" Theo smiled, "But remember this, being a werewolf isn't all good. There are evil creatures out there."  
"Just like humanity then" Nolan added. Theo nodded, knowing Nolan wasn't wrong.

Twenty minutes had passed, and Scott was beginning to get restless. He wasn't entirely trusting of Theo, although he had helped defeat the ghost riders and that put Scott's mind slightly at ease. Nevertheless, he was pacing back and forth.  
"Alright sweetie, I'm heading to work, I'll be back late tonight so don't wait up" Melissa yelled from the hallway.  
"Mom" Scott shouted back, racing out of the kitchen to see her.  
"What's up honey?" Melissa replied, concerned.  
"How do you cope with making tough decisions?" Scott vaguely queried.  
"Scott, you've got a good head on those shoulders, put it to good use. Weigh up the pros and cons, trust your gut, and consider the people around you. Did you want to talk about something?" Melissa informed him.  
"No, it's alright, you get off to work" Scott kissed his mum on the cheek and headed back into the kitchen, where he was greeted by Theo.  
"He's not backing down. It's your call" Theo stated. Scott sighed, still undecided, but wasted no time in pacing back into the living room to see Nolan.  
"Nolan, this is your decision now" Scott meant business as he sat next to Nolan on the sofa, "If you want in, just say the word, but don't forget that the bite can also kill you."  
"Scott, are you sure about this?" Maddie asked, concerned, as she, Stiles, Theo and Liam stood in the doorway.  
"Yeah, I'm sure" Scott replied, thinking back to his mum's advice.  
"I want in. Please. I don't care if I die, I can't go on living like this. I need control" Nolan was on the verge of begging as he spoke to Scott. It had been a long, anxious morning for him, and this moment felt like a long time coming.  
"Alright. Here we go" Scott transformed into his wolf form, but not without feeling concerned for the future. Ultimately, this was Nolan's decision and not his, but he already felt a sense of responsibility. Nolan braced himself, rolling up his sleeve. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, preparing for the inevitable pain of the bite. Scott slowly moved in, baring his fangs, and slowly they sunk into Nolan's pale arm. Nolan screamed in pain but didn't struggle.  
"Let's go" Maddie whispered to the others, and she left the room, with Stiles and Theo in tow, to give Scott and Nolan some privacy. Liam opted to stay, and he sat the other side of Nolan, holding his hand.  
"Come on, almost there" Liam encouraged him to stay strong. Scott pulled his fangs out of Nolan's arm and immediately left the room to fetch a bandage. Nolan's hand in Liam's suddenly felt lifeless, as Nolan's eyes shut.  
"Nolan, are you OK? Wake up" Liam began to panic, and Scott rushed to his side with a roll of bandages in his hand.  
"It's OK, he might be out for a while, he needs to rest" Scott reassured Liam that all is good.  
"I didn't think you'd actually do it" Liam confessed.  
"Neither did I, but he was struggling. You could see it in his eyes. Maybe we'll be able to teach him control?" Scott was hopeful.  
"It worked for me I guess" Liam reflected, thinking of his Intermittent Explosive Disorder. Nolan's arm was now clean of blood, and wrapped safely in a bandage. Liam pulled a blanket over him so he could rest. The nerve-wracking wait began – Liam and Scott were terrified to find out whether Nolan would pull through, but for the sake of their consciences, they prayed he would.

Meanwhile, Melissa sat at her desk at the hospital. She tapped away at the keyboard, logging onto the system for another tedious shift. She was paying very little attention to the hustle and bustle of the hospital around her – working there for so long, she'd perfected the art of zoning out of the noise when necessary. However, she failed to notice a scruffy gentleman sneak past reception, picking up Melissa's staff keycard on the way in, and use it to access a 'staff only' room. Coleman had given himself access to the security room, and using the computer system, he shut off the electrics, plunging the hospital into darkness with the only natural light coming from the moon outside. Melissa was petrified, as the computer clicked off in an instant, and panic ensued from patients and staff alike. Waiting in the wings, carefully positioned around the hospital to cover all exits, were ravenous, mentally unstable supernatural beings...


	5. Deception

Sprinting like there's no tomorrow, a creature ran through the forests of Beacon Hills. It was directionless, running all over the place with no destination in mind, but it still managed to avoid the trees. It ran faster than a human being, almost like an animal, but still it ran on two legs only. It leapt over puddles, and the wind was no hurdle. It didn't stop, until it reached the lookout - the top of a large cliff, overlooking the town. It stopped and took in its surroundings, gasping for breath, while its eyes glowed a deep yellow. Dressed casually in jeans and a red zip-up jacket, it took its phone out of its pocket. 6:47 am. As the phone locked, it caught a glimpse of itself. Staring back, Nolan Holloway saw his new look; fangs and claws joined the yellow eyes, but more than anything, he didn't know his own strength, and that made his thirst for blood even more dangerous...

* * *

 ** _Deception_**

* * *

Morning had broken, and Scott rose from his deep sleep as the piercing sound of his alarm clock rang through his eardrums. To his right, Maddie slowly opened her eyes.  
"Morning" she smiled.  
"Hey, how are you?" Scott responded, caressing her cheek.  
"I'm good. Would be better if Liam got off my foot" Maddie casually replied. Scott was startled, as he looked to the end of his bed and saw Liam fast asleep. Well, that was until Maddie kicked him and Liam jumped up, as if he'd received an electric shock.  
"What happened?" Liam was confused, but gathered his surroundings.  
"What's he doing here?" Scott asked Maddie, confused.  
"He didn't want to go home last night, too worried about Nolan. I said he could sleep at the end of your bed" Maddie explained.  
"Thanks a bunch" Scott seemed unimpressed but he shrugged it off. Suddenly, the penny dropped, "Nolan!" he shouted and sprinted down the stairs.

Dazed and weary, Malia was also waking up. Her back ached, as she'd had to sleep on the uncomfortable floor of the Eichen House cellar, which was as hard as a rock. Behind her, she heard a groaning sound. She turned around, alarmed, to see Isaac still awake, and still in pain. The purple glow of the gunshot wound was strong, and there was no sign of it healing. Maddie had used Isaac as a pillow, and although she tried her best to stay awake and tend to him, she couldn't help drifting off.  
"Have you slept at all?" Malia asked him.  
"10 minutes here and there. What time is it?" Isaac asked, struggling to speak.  
"Err, half 9" Malia said, looking at her phone, "How's the pain?"  
"Take a wild guess" Isaac responded. Malia sighed, praying for a miracle and that one of the pack would arrive in time to help Isaac.

To his horror, Scott didn't see Nolan when he arrived at his living room. When he last saw Nolan, he was asleep on the sofa, but now there wasn't a trace.  
"Where's he gone?" Liam asked, panicked.  
"He can't have gone far, let's have a scout around" Maddie tried to calm him down.  
"He's a werewolf now, he could run across the whole of Beacon Hills in the space of a few minutes, I think it goes beyond a quick stroll up and down the road" Liam was becoming stressed out.  
"I'll just ask my mom, she came in late so he might have said something to her" Scott decided, and headed upstairs to Melissa's bedroom. He knocked three times on the door, but had no response.  
"Mom?" he called out, thinking she may not have heard him. He got no response again, and the silence was deafening. Scott opted to open the door, and have a peek inside. To his horror, there was no sign of Melissa, and her bed looked like it hadn't been slept in. Scott ran downstairs.  
"Mom's not here" Scott exclaimed, in a state of panic.  
"Maybe she went out?" Maddie tried to keep calm and think rationally.  
"She always leaves a note or sends me a text so I know where she is" Scott responded. Bursting through the door, Stiles and Lydia arrived, and wasted no time in passing on some news.  
"Call from my dad, there's an incident at the hospital" Stiles announced. Scott's face filled with dread, as he realised Melissa was almost certainly caught up in it.

Phone calls were made and a plan set into motion. Scott wasted no time in heading to the hospital with Stiles in tow. Malia and Isaac were nowhere to be seen, so Lydia and Maddie went to check around for them. Meanwhile, Liam called up Casey to track down Nolan. The pack used their strengths to cover all bases, but the unknown of the hospital threat terrified Scott. He had no idea what was going on, but he knew he'd do anything to save his mum.  
"Can't this thing go any faster?" Scott complained. He was talking about Stiles' jeep, which was already driving above the speed limit on the way to the hospital.  
"Hey, I'm going pretty fast already, don't doubt the jeep" Stiles responded, trying to keep Scott calm.  
"Sorry, I'm so scared" Scott opened up.  
"It's alright buddy, I know what you mean. If someone told me my dad might be...you know" he froze, unsure of the right words to use. Ultimately, he decided to move straight on, "...I'd be pretty terrified."  
"I've got enough going on though, Thomas isn't who he says he is, Nolan's gone walkabouts, I thought it'd be smooth, we've helped Liam cope, surely this should've been easier?" Scott spoke frantically, barely stopping for breath.  
"It was always gonna be a struggle with Nolan, you knew that" Stiles corrected him, "He's troubled. Just remember though, he has so many people who can help him out. Heck, even me. I guess I'm not so bad."  
"What do you mean? You're great dude" Scott raised a smile. Stiles was reflecting on Hayden and what she'd confessed to him. He wanted to tell Scott so badly, and keeping it secret was slowly eating away at him, but it wasn't the time or the place.

"Haven't you phoned for help?" Isaac queried, still struggling to speak.  
"No, it didn't occur to me" Malia sarcastically replied, "Conveniently, my phone ran out of battery, and you fell on yours."  
"Wait, it's broken? Today just gets better and better" Isaac was visibly annoyed about his phone.  
"Get shot with wolfsbane, fine, not a problem, but a damaged phone?" Malia was stressed, and was taking it out on Isaac.  
"Alright, no need to bite my head off" Isaac retaliated.  
"Sorry" Malia calmed down, "I trust in Scott, but he's taking his goddamn time."  
"Maybe we need to send him a signal?" Isaac suggested.

Arriving at Argent's house on the lookout for Isaac, Lydia and Maddie stepped out of the car. To their surprise, the front door was wide open, but not a person in sight. Argent's warm and cosy apartment was no longer the beacon of comfort that Maddie thought. It was cold, and spine-tingling, as she stepped through the front door.  
"Argent?" Lydia called out. No response.  
"Isaac? Thomas? Anyone home?" Maddie added. Still no response. Until, that was, they heard a noise coming from the cellar. Maddie and Lydia shared a glance, worried about what they might find, but they knew they had to go down there. What if Isaac were in trouble? What if Coleman had come for Thomas? All kinds of possibilities were running through their minds. Maddie bravely led the way, with Lydia bringing up the rear. Not hedging her bets, Maddie prepared her claws, ready to fight. She opened the creaky door, and proceeded down the stairs. Step by step, she descended into the dark cellar. The noise just got louder and louder, like someone was struggling. As soon as they reached the bottom, still in darkness, Lydia hit the light switch. To their surprise, they didn't see Thomas or Isaac, but it was in fact Argent, tied to a chair all alone with a rope gagging his mouth. Maddie wasted no time in using her claws to cut through the ropes.  
"You alright?" Maddie asked. Argent nodded, getting himself together.  
"Who did this?" Lydia wasted no time, knowing they were under threat.  
"Thomas. He did it" Argent revealed, much to Maddie and Lydia's horror.

Trawling the woods, Liam was getting frustrated. He was petrified thinking about what might have happened to Nolan overnight, and he could be anywhere by now.  
"This is hopeless" he sighed.  
"No it's not, we're doing everything we can. Don't lose his scent" Casey was keeping him calm and focused.  
"It's all my fault. I shouldn't have said anything to Scott. Nolan would still be fine and normal" Liam was venting his frustrations.  
"Normal? Was he normal in the first place? Were any of us normal in the first place?" Casey replied, reflecting.  
"I guess we all had our problems" Liam reminisced on his life before the bite. The duo approached the lookout point, admiring the bird's eye view of the town they call home.  
"Can you smell that?" Casey asked Liam, changing the subject.  
"Yeah, he was here" Liam perked up with a ray of hope, "And he left this." He picked up Nolan's cracked phone. Sitting on the large rock that served as a bench, Liam looked at Nolan's lock screen. It was a photo of him in his lacrosse gear.  
"He likes his lacrosse" Casey commented, trying to make conversation with the clearly downtrodden Liam.  
"He wanted to be the captain. He looked up to me. And I let him down" Liam slammed the phone down on the floor and continued the search. Casey picked the phone back up, knowing it might be useful, before following Liam, not wanting to let him out of sight.

Before Stiles had a chance to turn the engine of his jeep off, Scott was out of the car. He didn't waste a single second in rushing into the hospital, but he was stopped in his tracks as two figures stood blocking the entrance. Two humanoid strangers, neither familiar to Scott. Both were complete with fangs and claws. Scott transformed in a flash, his teeth became sharp fans and his fingers now had claws. He wasn't going to let anything stand in his way. His deep red eyes shot fear into the two creatures. All it took was a large push from Scott with all of the strength he's accumulated as an alpha to knock both of them out, much like a pair of dominos. Stiles followed behind, armed with a baseball bat.  
"I thought you got rid of that?" Scott asked, unfazed by what just happened.  
"The golden rule of being the sidekick: always have a spare" Stiles waved it in the air, playing around. To the duo's surprise, one of the creatures was still awake, and it began to get up. Bash! Its attempt was stifled by a thump from Stiles' baseball bat. Scott gave a nod of approval, and they rushed into the hospital. As they walked through the main entrance, the first thing they noticed was the pitch black view.  
"Someone forgot to put 50p in the metre" Stiles joked.  
"It's controlled in the generator room, can you get to it? Use your phone torch" Scott ordered.  
"On it" Stiles rushed off, with his baseball bat in one hand and phone in the other. Scott continued to make his way through the hospital. There was no sign of anyone, although he was horrified to notice the sight of blood on the wall opposite the reception desk where Melissa worked. Standing out like a sore thumb, Scott noticed Melissa's jacket placed neatly on the back of her chair. He picked it up and took a sniff, familiarising himself with her scent. Following his nose, Scott made his way round the corner to the left, and kept on going down the long and winding corridor. Taking it slowly and quietly, Scott peeped in each room as he walked by, but each one was empty – no sign of any patients or staff alike.  
"Scott!" came a voice from ahead. Scott recognised it instantly, and headed to the next room. Hiding inside were a group of the hospital's staff, including Melissa.  
"Mom!" Scott replied, overjoyed to see she was still alive, "I'm gonna get you out of here, I promise."  
"He's killing them all, Scott. The patients, the doctors, the nurses, anyone. It's only a matter of time until he finds us" Melissa was worried. Scott was concerned, knowing his mum was usually strong and brave.  
"Who is?" Scott queried, trying to find out more information.  
"I don't know his name, I've never seen him before, but I recognised his friend from a mile away" Melissa explained, "It was Thomas." Scott was taken aback, as a rush of terror came over his body.

Along the roadside, Casey and Liam were making their way back towards the centre of town. Nolan was nowhere to be seen in the woods, and they were running out of ideas.  
"Wait, you were an alpha. You must have bitten people before. How did you deal with it?" Liam queried.  
"I never bit anyone, I was too scared of the outcome. Guess I'm more of a chicken than a wolf" Casey's mind was flooded with bad memories of his time as an alpha.  
"Sorry, I didn't mean to upset you. You're not a chicken, you're one of the bravest people I know" Liam kindly said.  
"It's alright. I can't even get myself to ask a guy out, I'd never have made a good alpha" Casey continued.  
"Thomas? Isn't he…?" Liam didn't finish his sentence, but Casey nodded.  
"He's not who he says he is" Casey finished, "Sorry, you don't need to hear me sulk."  
"No, it's fine. Not like my love life is much better" Liam reflected too, thinking about Hayden.  
"What are you gonna do to win her back?" Casey questioned.  
"Stiles said I need to do something to prove how much I care for her, but I'm not imaginative enough, I've got no ideas" Liam confessed.  
"Alright, so a plan of action. We find Nolan, then I'll help you win Hayden back" Casey smiled. A spark appeared in Liam's eye.  
"Thanks" he smiled back.

"Hey, it's Scott, I can't answer your call right now but leave a message" Scott's answerphone rang out, much to Maddie's frustration.  
"Hi, this is Stiles' phone, I can't speak to you now but leave a message if you really want to" Lydia had similar emotions when she heard Stiles' answerphone. Both were frantically trying to get in touch with Scott and Stiles, to let them know about Thomas, but it seemed both were too preoccupied.  
"Scott can take care of himself" Argent warned them both.  
"So what do we do? We can't just sit around like lemons" Lydia replied, stressed.  
"He asked you to look for Isaac and Malia, so go find them. I'll give him some back-up at the hospital" Argent primed his gun as he spoke.

Isaac continued to lose blood, with a puddle now sitting to his left as the gunshot wound still wasn't healing. Malia had worked through her pack of tissues trying to clean the wound, but it was to no avail. Isaac was drifting in and out of consciousness, and Malia was starting to lose hope.  
"Malia, you need to know" Isaac spoke, struggling even more than before.  
"Save your breath, you're gonna need it" Malia replied, supporting him.  
"I need to say" Isaac ignored her and continued to speak, "I love you."  
"I love you too" Malia was surprised at herself and how attached she'd become to Isaac. She wasn't used to this, but it gave her a warm feeling deep down inside. That warm feeling quickly turned cold, however, as she remembered the situation she and Isaac were in.  
"You need to carry out the plan" Isaac ordered her. Malia was hesitant, but she ultimately obeyed. Her eyes turned a deep shade of blue and she transformed into here werecoyote form. In an instant, she let out a rapturous roar. She prayed that one of the pack would hear it, but her reluctance didn't leave her mind, fearing whoever locked them in may return and make things worse…

Scott's heartbeat jumped as the sound of his phone made a scarily loud noise amongst the quiet of the hospital room. It was Stiles.  
"Hey, have you found the generator room?" Scott asked, whispering.  
"Yeah, I'm there, but I need a password. Could you ask your mom?" Stiles queried.  
"Mom, what's your password?" Scott called to Melissa, still being as quiet as possible.  
"It's scott13" Melissa replied.  
"Really?" Scott paused for a second, ashamed by his mother's password.  
"It's all I could think of" Melissa laughed.  
"Stiles, it's scott13, no space, all lowercase" Scott explained down the phone.  
"Got it. Give me two minutes. Are we gonna get everyone out?" Stiles wondered.  
"Yeah, I'm hoping the lights being on will be a distraction. Then I'll hit the fire alarm and everyone can escape" Scott revealed.  
"There's a lot that could go wrong with that" Stiles reminded.  
"I know, but we've got to try" Scott said, before hanging up the phone. Stiles got to work, typing away at lightning speed on the computer to find the controls for the lights.

"Me again" Lydia poked her head around the door of Stilinski's office.  
"I hope you're not asking me to break the law again" Stilinski retorted.  
"No, it's serious, I promise. Malia and Isaac have vanished and we think they're in trouble. Can you track their phones?" Maddie queried.  
"Parrish!" Stilinski called out. Parrish popped his head in, waiting for orders, "Can you see to these lovely ladies' request please?"  
"Yes Sheriff" Parrish responded. Lydia and Maddie stood either side of Parrish at his desk. Maddie read out Isaac's phone number, while Parrish typed it in.  
"He called Chris Argent late last night but there's been no signal since, must be out of battery. Oh gosh, you're not gonna want to hear where the call was made from" Parrish revealed.  
"Tell us, or you'll feel the sharp edge of my claws on your beautifully chiselled face" Maddie threatened.  
"It was made just outside Eichen House" Parrish revealed, with fear in his voice.  
"Right, let's go" Lydia replied. She wasn't happy about having to return to Eichen, but she'd stop at nothing to save her friends.  
"Wait, I'm coming too" Parrish interrupted, "That place is a death trap."

Meanwhile, in the hospital room, Scott and Melissa waited patiently with the other doctors and nurses. He listened to their heartbeats, and each one was pumping like hard. Even his own heart was beating faster than normal. It was partly adrenaline, he guessed, but he knew he was nervous too. Suddenly, he heard footsteps approaching. Patrolling the outdoor corridor, they slowly crept towards the room. Scott held his finger to his lips, signalling to the others to be as silent as possible. A pin drop could be heard within the room, but when wolf-hearing was involved, the sound of breathing could not be disguised. A shadowed figure appeared at the doorway. The doctors and nurses were petrified, but Scott stood up. His heart began beating faster and faster, as the shadowed figure opened the door. Melissa situated herself in front of the other staff members, protecting them. Scott prepared to fight, but as the door opened fully, he was relieved to see Thomas.  
"What are you doing here?" Scott whispered harshly.  
"Come on, I'm getting you out" Thomas responded. Scott didn't think twice, totally forgetting any of his suspicions of Thomas. Scott led the way out of the hospital, and Thomas brought up the rear. As they were on the move, the lights flickered on. Scott smiled, as he knew Stiles had succeeded, and he activated the fire alarm.

Feeling proud of himself, Stiles did a little jump for joy. Momentarily, he'd forgotten the danger of the hospital, and failed to notice a stranger sneaking out the door. However, his attention was alerted when the door clicked shut. Rapidly, Stiles jumped to action, opening the door and checking down the corridor. He saw a figure turn a corner several metres away, much further than any human could've run in that period of time. He followed in the same direction, realising it led him to a set of stairs meant only for staff members. Up he went, following the long and tiresome staircase all the way up to the roof. Panting for breath, he reached the top, and heaved open a heavy door that led onto the roof balcony. Facing away from Stiles, a scruffy, tattered figure looked over the town.  
"Hello?" Stiles called out. He got no response, and slowly inched closer, "Look, whatever you are, I've got some friends who can help."  
"Scott McCall" came a deep voice. It didn't sound even slightly human, and Stiles was terrified. It turned around, and showed a horribly mutated half-man half-wolf face, with fangs and fur covering it with little symmetry or coherence in its layout.  
"Thomas told me he's here. Take me to him" he continued.  
"Thomas..." Stiles thought aloud, "You're him. You're Coleman!"  
"Careful Stiles, the longer you delay, the less time you'll have to help the rest of your friends. The ones stuck in Eichen House, the ones on the ground below having escaped" Coleman threatened. Stiles was torn, unsure of what to do, but he was scared either way.

Liam and Casey jogged onto the lacrosse pitch. Crouched into a ball in the centre, just as Liam had expected, was Nolan.  
"Nolan!" Liam called out, "We're here to help."  
"Liam, please do something. I can't take it" Nolan replied. Liam and Casey perched either side of Nolan, who looked up. His eyes were bright yellow, and his fangs were out.  
"I can't stop shifting, my mind is running all over the place. Please help me" Nolan pleaded with them.  
"It's alright, we've got you" Casey helped pick him up. Nolan had one arm over Casey's shoulders, and assisted him to walk away from the middle of the empty field.  
"Liam!" came a loud voice shouting from afar. Liam spun around, and saw Coach yelling towards him, "Why haven't you been at practice?"  
"Sorry Coach, got bigger fish to fry. Looking after my teammates" Liam shouted back. He was pleased to have found Nolan, but now the hard work began – teaching Nolan control.

Creeping into the deserted Eichen House, Lydia, Maddie and Parrish were on red alert for potential attacks. All of a sudden, the group heard a loud ear-piercing roar.  
"Malia" Maddie identified, "Coming from downstairs." They wasted no time in following the sound, and headed downstairs in a hurry. Their motivation ground to a halt however, as they reached a locked door.  
"Stand back" Lydia warned, as she let rip an almighty scream, weakening the door for Parrish to kick it down in an instant. In sight now were Malia and an unconscious Isaac. From one barrier to another, however, as Maddie ran slap bang into a mountain ash wall.  
"Ow!" she exclaimed, having landed on her backside with a harsh bump. Lydia gave her a hand up, before she glanced over to a despaired Malia. Her eyes alone expressed how fearful for Isaac she was.  
"This is my area" Parrish stepped in, as he glowed a fiery red and his clothes burned off his body. Using his intense heat, he pushed against the barrier as if it were a heavy piece of furniture, and managed to destroy it, creating an exit at last. Maddie and Lydia rushed to Isaac's side, helping him up between them.  
"What happened?" Lydia asked Malia.  
"Wolfsbane bullet. No idea who locked us here but we came to check it out after the reports of a break in" Malia explained.  
"Think it was Thomas?" Maddie added.  
"Isn't he with Argent?" Malia was shocked. However, the explanations came to a halt as they reached the top of the long and exhausting cellar stairs.  
"Not so fast" an unfamiliar voice at the top of the stairs threatened. It was a woman in her late 20s, with long auburn wavy hair, holding a gun at the group.  
"Who are you?" Parrish asked, wielding his gun back at her.  
"Someone who's doing her duty" she replied, as she fired the gun once again.


	6. Morality

Panting and sweating, Scott led the group out of the hospital. Thomas was close behind, while Melissa brought up the rear, ushering her co-workers out of the hospital. The fire alarm was ringing, and finally, the hospital was returning to its usual state. The volume level was increasing, and if Scott focused his hearing enough, he could hear the pitter-patter of feet as the rest of the hospital escaped from the clutches of Coleman and his gang of hooligans.  
"Who are all of these werewolves?" Scott asked, referring to Coleman's back-up.  
"The closed unit of Eichen House, he broke them all out" Thomas replied.  
"Isaac and Malia are there, I need to warn them" Scott panicked, unaware of Isaac and Malia's own predicament. Before he could make a move, a large car drove past and parked up beside Scott.  
"Hold it right there!" a furious Argent shouted. He took a gun out of his pocket and pointed it in the direction of Thomas' head.  
"What are you doing?" Scott was totally confused by Argent's actions.  
"He's a traitor, Scott" Argent replied, gun in position. Without thinking, Argent's finger tightened on the trigger, and with an ear-piercing BANG, the gun was fired...

* * *

 ** _Morality_**

* * *

"I'm not coming back. You need to leave me alone" Nolan pleaded. He was shaking, and terrified, sat in the middle of the lacrosse pitch.  
"I swore I'd look after you, and I'm not leaving you alone" Liam responded, refusing to give up.  
"You think I'm weird anyway, I saw the look on your face in the woods the other night. You're better off without me" Nolan vented his concerns.  
"Look" Liam began to explain, "I wasn't judging you. I was taken aback, I won't lie, but everything I said to you before was genuine. You're my friend, and friends don't give up on each other. I won't give up on you, Nolan." Nolan simply smiled back, calming himself down. Meanwhile, Casey was stood watching, just metres away. He was awestruck by the relationship between Liam and Nolan, and the protection Liam offered.  
"Let's go" Liam said, walking up to Casey. No response came, as Casey was too lost in his thoughts, "Casey?"  
"Huh?" Casey replied, snapping out of it.  
"Let's go" Liam repeated.  
"Where?" Casey asked, having not paid attention to any of the last 30 seconds of conversation.  
"I've got a plan" Liam answered, "Trust me." Casey nodded, and followed Liam and Nolan a couple of steps behind.

With little more than a clink, a purple-tinged bullet dropped to the dirty dungeon floor of Eichen House. Ducking on the floor, Malia slowly stood up, followed by Maddie and Lydia. Stood in front of them was Parrish, simmering down from his full hellhound state. The bullet had bounced off him with little issue, but the problem wasn't over. At the top of the stairs, the nurse was still in position.  
"Wanna try again? I've got plenty more where that came from" Parrish goaded her.  
"I'll save my ammo, but don't think I'm out of tricks" she replied. Parrish walked up to the top of the stairs to speak to her.  
"What's your name?" he interrogated.  
"That doesn't matter. This isn't over, Deputy. You and your little school kid friends aren't safe" she threatened, before turning around and walking away. Parrish considered following her, but thought better of it and decided to use this reprieve as a chance to escape and regroup with Scott.  
"Come on, let's get him up" Parrish ordered, referring to Isaac, who was slumped on the floor unconscious while the events were ongoing.  
"Where's she gone?" Maddie asked, concerned.  
"I don't know, but we need to get out of here, and fast" Parrish responded, keeping guard while the girls helped Isaac up the stairs.

Confused and panic-stricken, Stiles was fixated on the beast that stood in front of him.  
"So Stiles, what's your decision?" the creature that once made up Coleman growled.  
"I...I don't know, I'm sorry, but you can't expect me to make a decision like that on the spot" Stiles stood his ground.  
"You'll have to hurry. On my signal, I can have your father's throat torn out, or your friend slaughtered one by one" Coleman threatened.  
"You're bluffing" Stiles said, not confident of his own words.  
"You think? Do you wanna put that to the test?" Coleman continued.  
"Alright" Stiles gave in, "I'll take you to Scott. But on one condition – you let us help you out."

"What the hell have you done?" Scott yelled. He was kneeled on the floor, next to Thomas' body. His hands were placed over his stomach, from which blood was pouring out thanks to a gunshot wound.  
"I...I..." Argent was lost for words. The gun was on the floor, having dropped out of his hands. His hands themselves were shaking,  
"We need to get him some medical attention" Melissa noted, knelt down the other side of Thomas.  
"Deaton can help" Scott interjected.  
"Scott, he's a vet, we need to get him to a proper doctor" Melissa responded.  
"No mom, look at the purple around the wound. That's wolfsbane. Deaton can help him, I promise, then he can start healing" Scott insisted.  
"Alright. Argent, get your car ready. Now!" Melissa ordered. Argent picked up the gun from the floor, and proceeded to follow Melissa's instructions. Scott's heart was racing as he tried to pick up Thomas, who was barely awake.  
"Come on dude, stay with me" Scott spoke to Thomas. All that was on his mind right now was keeping him alive. Any of his previous doubts about Thomas' identity wasn't important in that moment and Scott's number one instinct of keeping his friends alive kicked in.

As the noise level began to rise in Liam's front room thanks to the arrival of Mason and Corey, A crisis talk had been called by Casey, to help Nolan out, and despite their grievances with Nolan, both lads were keen to help out. Liam had also left a message on Hayden's answerphone but wasn't prepared for her to show up. Meanwhile, Casey was speaking separately to Daan and Cody, who had also been invited.  
"You know what you saw from Liam the other night?" Casey began, preparing to tell them the news. The duo nervously nodded, almost in sync with each other.  
"What you saw was all real, werewolves exist" he continued, showing his claws, "Nolan asked for the bite that transforms you, and, well, he's changed a bit since you last saw him, let's put it that way."  
"So he's a werewolf now?" Daan asked for clarity.  
"Yeah, but please don't go shouting this from the rooftops, we really don't need all of Beacon Hills knowing about this" Casey added.  
"Cool" Daan replied, fascinated and not remotely bothered by the whole situation. Cody was less relaxed.  
"Is he dangerous?" Cody queried.  
"That's what this session's about. We need to teach him control, and you're his friends, right? We need you two to be his anchors. An anchor keeps you human, without an anchor you'd be a wild animal running through the forest" Casey explained.  
"Alright" Cody smiled, ready to get to work. The trio sat down in the living room, on a sofa opposite Mason and Corey. Liam stood at the head of the room, with Nolan perched in a chair next to him. Casey gave Liam a thumbs up, signalling that Daan and Cody took it well and it was time to begin.  
"Hi guys, thanks for coming" Liam wasted no time in starting the session, "We're here for Nolan today, as his friends, to help him get to grips with who he is."  
"Can I see your claws?" Daan interjected, not grasping the seriousness of the situation.  
"A time and a place" Casey replied.  
"Nolan's struggling to grasp control so far, and it was the same for me when I first became a werewolf. The first thing I did was find an anchor, something I can hang onto, that I love, that I want to keep me human" Liam explained.  
"I don't have anyone" Nolan responded, bluntly.  
"You're always hanging around with Daan and Cody, why not use them?" Mason suggested.  
"I guess" Nolan seemed unfazed. The group were interrupted by a knock at the door.  
"I'll get it. Take five everybody" Liam spoke, before rushing off to the front door. He clicked it open, and to his amazement, he saw Hayden stood in front of him. She was smiling, and Liam's grin in return was like that of a Cheshire cat.

"He's not here?" Coleman commented. He and Stiles were stood in Scott's living room, without a single person in sight. Coleman had shifted back to his human form, but Stiles felt no more comfortable alongside him.  
"He's kinda got a lot on his hands" Stiles remarked.  
"Look geek boy, you'll have even more on your hands if you don't take me to Scott. You better find him, and quick. Don't forget our side of the deal" Coleman threatened. Sure enough, he'd agreed to Stiles' proposal offering help, but Stiles opted to keep Coleman at arm's length nevertheless.  
"Alright, I've got a couple more ideas" Stiles reluctantly admitted.

Scott was actually at the animal clinic. He and Melissa heaved a still-unconscious Thomas onto the central table, while Deaton immediately sprang into action. Argent slumped in behind them, still in shock over his own actions. It had been an awkward car journey, with Melissa driving while Scott tended to Thomas in the back seat. Argent sat in the passenger seat, too shaken to drive safely. Melissa refused to speak to him, unsure of the right words to use.  
"He's been shot with wolfsbane" Melissa explained to Deaton. Scott glared at Argent, stood behind him in the doorway. He was filled with anger just by looking at him, and was baffled as to how someone so intelligent could make such a thoughtless move.  
"Alright, Scott" Deaton tried to call Scott's attention, but Scott was still looking behind, "Scott!" Deaton called again.  
"Huh?" Scott's head spun round, having zoned back into the room.  
"I need you to look in the bottom draw over there" Deaton pointed, "Get me my flame torch, quickly." Scott wasted no time, rushing to the draw, but his attention wasn't focused for long as the surgery became very crowded all of a sudden.  
"We need help, urgently" Malia intruded, helping assist a barely conscious Isaac into the surgery with Maddie.

Sat awkwardly in Liam's living room, Casey was finding it hard to focus. His mind was working overtime, considering the Thomas situation and every emotion he's experienced since finding out Thomas was a fraud. He closed his eyes, trying to focus, and out of nowhere, a lightbulb moment came to Casey.  
"I've got it" Casey exclaimed, breaking the silence from the rest of the group.  
"Are you alright dude?" Daan asked, unsure of what Casey was on about.  
"I need to get to Thomas. Now" he stated, making his way to the front door.  
"Wait, I just got a message from Lydia. They're at the animal hospital, Isaac and Thomas are badly hurt" Corey shouted. Casey felt a sense of dread in his stomach, but nevertheless, he stormed out of the door in pursuit of his answers. Nolan followed sheepishly behind, not wanting to be left out.  
"You don't need to come" Casey retorted, as soon as he saw Nolan behind him.  
"I'm part of this now, you can't exclude me" Nolan replied confidently.  
"Alright. Thomas mentioned this guy, Coleman, he's been causing trouble all round Beacon Hills, and based on what Thomas told me, I think I can find out a way to stop him" Casey explained, feeling energised.

"What are you doing here?" Liam asked Hayden. They were stood opposite one another in Liam's kitchen, separated from the rest of the group.  
"I had to see you. I'm so sorry, I've been so stupid" Hayden began to cry, tears slipping down her cheeks like mini waterfalls.  
"It's alright" Liam comforted her, bringing her in for a calming hug, "I know it's been hard coping with what happened at the hospital, but I meant what I said. I'm not going anywhere."  
"I love you Liam Dunbar" Hayden smiled.  
"I love you too" Liam grinned back, leaning in to kiss Hayden for the first time in too long. They were interrupted however by Mason, who rushed into the kitchen to pass on some news.  
"Nolan just ran out of the house after Casey" Mason announced, "They've gone to the animal clinic, Isaac and Thomas are in trouble."  
"I better get down there. Are you alright here?" Liam looked at Hayden.  
"Sure, I'll be waiting when you get back" Hayden responded. Liam took one last look at Hayden, before dashing off to help his friends.

Panic levels were rising in the animal clinic as Deaton's usual calm nature was being tested. He had two barely conscious werewolves lying on his operating table, with the same life-threatening injury, and no indication of how long they may survive.  
"Come on Doc, do something!" Maddie urged a flustered Deaton.  
"I'm worried, and I think you need to prepare yourself for the worst, all of you" Deaton began to explain, "I can save both of them, but it's a question of how long they'll survive in the meantime."  
"Don't waste any time, get going" Scott rushed Deaton as calmly as he could, encouraging his boss.  
"Isaac" Thomas murmured. He could barely speak, but was forcing the words out as best as he could, "Save Isaac."  
"Where's Thomas?" Casey came rushing in, making the already crowded animal clinic even busier than it already was. He looked at the operating table and saw Thomas lying there, barely awake and drifting in and out of consciousness.  
"Hey, what happened?" Casey lowered his voice, speaking gently, "Look, I know it's not the right time, but I need to ask. How did Coleman lose his alpha status?"  
"He never really went into much detail" Thomas croaked, speaking slowly, "I know it involved a massive fire. Arson, in fact. He said his power was taken from him."  
"So what was the problem?" Scott pondered, listening intently.  
"Humans face irrational fears. Mine was always fire, and someone took advantage of that" came an unfamiliar voice from the lobby. Casey stepped out of the operating room, and Stiles stood next to a scruffy man in ripped clothing.  
"He's here to get help, I promise" Stiles tried justifying himself.  
"He's Coleman, isn't he?" Casey asked, immediately feeling himself fill with rage, "The guy who killed Thomas' parents?"  
"Listen, we'll deal with that later on, but right now, we've got a serious problem, and he needs your help." Stiles pleaded.  
"I don't mean to intrude, but could I ask you all to wait outside? I need to concentrate, this is a very complicated procedure and the slightest distraction could prove fatal" Deaton requested, of the large crowd around him. Casey ushered Stiles and Coleman outside, where they can continue their chat. He was interested in how he could help but nevertheless, he knew he had to keep Coleman at arm's length.

Inside the operating room, Deaton had been left alone with only a small crowd. Thomas and Isaac were still side-by-side, half naked so Deaton could access their wounds. Malia stood to Isaac's right, holding his hand.  
"When we get out of here, you're gonna have to take me out for some retail therapy" Malia commented.  
"Since when have you been interested in shopping?" Isaac spoke slowly.  
"Hanging out with Lydia and Maddie does things to you" Malia laughed, before confessing, "I don't know what I'd do if you didn't make it."  
"You don't have to worry" Isaac smiled, as Deaton approached him.  
"Isaac, this will hurt for a few minutes, but it's the only way to remove the wolfsbane" Deaton explained. Isaac nodded, before Deaton turned on his flame torch. The blue flame was incredibly hot, and Isaac felt it even from a few centimetres away. His eyes were shut, preparing for the pain to come, and sure enough, when it hit, he yelled in agony. Thomas was lying next to him, not making a sound. He was still conscious, barely, but his eyes were shut, struggling with his own pain. Nolan stood just a few centimetres away, as Liam arrived behind him, panting and out of breath.  
"I was worried" Liam said sincerely, skipping any form of greeting.  
"I'm sorry. I just wanted to help" Nolan responded.  
"I'll tell you what. Lesson number one, the best way you can help anyone" Liam spoke softly, contrasting with the loud shrieks coming from Isaac's mouth. He picked up Nolan's arm, and placed his hand gently on Thomas'. All of a sudden, to Nolan's amazement, Thomas' arms began to display black veins of blood, as he felt a tingling sensation.  
"What am I doing?" Nolan curiously queried.  
"You're taking his pain away. You see, we're not all monsters, we can do good things too" Liam explained. A tear fled down Nolan's cheek, as the emotion hit him like a tonne of bricks. He was in awe of this revelation, and for the first time in a long time, he felt comfortable in himself.

Now sat on a bench several metres down the road from the animal surgery, Melissa had taken Argent for a breath of fresh air.  
"What if he dies, Melissa?" Argent worried.  
"Deaton's got it under control" Melissa calmed him, "I know it was an accident."  
"I could have killed him" Argent cried. Melissa wasn't used to Argent crying, it was a sight she hadn't seen before from a man who usually kept himself composed.  
"It's alright" she said, pulling him closer.

"Are you insane?" Lydia scolded Stiles.  
"I didn't really have much of a choice" Stiles retaliated, defending his stance.  
"What do you want help with?" Casey questioned Coleman. They were all stood outside the animal surgery, a large group all centred around Coleman. Scott, Lydia, Stiles. Maddie and Parrish all watched on as Casey interrogated the mysterious werewolf. Coleman didn't give an answer to Casey's question, so Stiles chirped up.  
"I saw him at the hospital, he transformed in a way I'd never seen before. His whole body shifted into a giant creature, fur and everything. It was like nothing I'd seen before" Stiles explained.  
"And I can't control it" Coleman piped up, "My body's been behaving strangely ever since I lost my alpha status."  
"Maybe Deaton can help? He's seen all kinds of weird phenomena before" Lydia suggested.  
"Why should we trust him?" Casey was unusually sceptical over Coleman.  
"We've got to help, it's what we do" Scott spoke directly to Casey.  
"I know how it feels to lose your alpha status. You feel small, and weak, and like you can't help in any way. The thing that separates me and him is how far we'd go, and we know he's already killed people. Where will he stop?" Casey vented.  
"You fool" Coleman laughed, while everyone else stared on in confusion, "I didn't kill Thomas' parents. They're alive and well."  
"He lied?" Casey was baffled.  
"Yeah, he followed every word I said, including infiltrating your pack. I mean, you never know, they might end up dead soon, but that very much depends on him. And now it depends on you, Scott McCall" Coleman's demeanour turned from a helpless bystander to an evil, plotting creature, on the lookout for nothing but revenge.  
"Why me? What have I ever done to you?" Scott asked.  
"Oh, don't act all innocent. Everybody knows about Scott McCall, the true alpha. I can't take your status, but there's a hell of a load of friends you have, and even the humans aren't immune to a little power boost" Coleman was sinister in his tone, meaning every word he said. The pack all shared a common feeling of dread and horror, as Coleman shifted right in front of them. His body expanded to double its usual size, and fur spouted out across his skin. His face was a bizarre combination of both human and wolf, with fangs larger than any ever seen before.  
"Hey, big boy" Casey yelled. Nobody had noticed Casey slipping off to Argent's car a few metres away, but from the boot, he took out a large jug of petrol, "Take a swig of this." Without hesitation, Casey lobbed the jug through the air, and into Scott's arms. Scott unfastened the lid, and chucked the liquid all over the beast that used to be Coleman.  
"Is that all you got?" Coleman taunted.  
"I think you forgot one key factor" Parrish retorted, before an orange glow began to form around him, "Everybody take cover." The pack split up, all finding a hiding place several metres away. The deputy became the hellhound once again, and without hesitation, he breathed a flame right onto Coleman's petrol-soaked body. In the blink of an eye, the fiend went up in smoke, blasting Parrish back against a nearby wall.

Those in the surgery heard the bang nice and clear, as the glass on the front door to the surgery shattered. Deaton had finished operating on Isaac, who was now asleep, and was preparing the flame for Thomas.  
"What the hell was that?" Malia asked.  
"I'll check" Liam said, leaping to action. Nolan was about to follow, but before he left, he noticed Thomas' eyes were shut and he was totally motionless.  
"Um, Doc" Nolan sheepishly said, "I think he's dead." Nolan was unsure of how to react in this situation, but he knew he felt an immense feeling of sadness looking at Thomas' pale face. Deaton rushed to action, checking Thomas' pulse.  
"I'm so sorry. Looks like we weren't quick enough. He gave his life to save Isaac" Deaton announced.

Exiting the surgery, Liam saw nothing but a cloud of smoke. He used his hand to waft it away, in order to improve his vision.  
"Scott?" he yelled, hoping for a reply.  
"Over here" came the response. Scott was coughing loudly, but he and Maddie emerged from behind the bins. The pack slowly regrouped, as Stiles and Lydia popped up from behind Argent's car, and Parrish stood up from against the wall. Casey was the last to be found – he was stood over the scorched remains of Coleman. Very little of him was intact, but despite all that went on, Casey felt a sense of remorse. All of a sudden, he remembered.  
"Thomas" he exclaimed, before running inside. He opened the surgery door, and pelted into the operating room. Nolan, Deaton and Malia all looked up at him, with the same sense of remorse.  
"No, he can't be" Casey immediately knew what this meant, and he looked at Thomas' lifeless body. He tried to stop the tears from streaming down, but his attempts were futile.  
"I never got to tell him his parents were still alive" Casey said over his crying. Nolan looked on, feeling sympathetic, while Malia rested her head on Isaac's body, relieved he survived.

Just the next day, Isaac and Malia were sat at the Beacon Hills lookout point. Isaac's injury had healed at the usual pace – now the wolfsbane was removed, there was nothing hindering his usual supernatural powers. They'd brought a picnic, complete with a bottle of wine, to enjoy together.  
"I kinda thought it'd be a restaurant meal but this'll do" Malia commented.  
"You're always saying how much you're at one with nature, sorry for giving you what you like. Girls are always so awkward" Isaac moaned.  
"Doesn't mean I don't value the finer things in life. So what? I can be materialistic too" Malia bickered with Isaac, "This is a nice view though." Isaac laughed, and leaned in to kiss Malia.

"You were so brave today" Lydia smiled, sat alone with Stiles in his jeep.  
"Yeah, I was, wasn't I?" Stiles grinned, like the cat that got the cream.  
"You better drive me home, I need to finish packing" Lydia requested.  
"Packing? You going on holiday?" Stiles queried, confused.  
"Have you totally forgotten that we're leaving for college tomorrow?" Lydia answered as if Stiles were stupid.  
"Oh my god, I actually forgot. Starting as I mean to go on" Stiles laughed, before pressing down on the pedals of the jeep and driving off.

Sat in Thomas' room at Scott's house, Casey was packing his belongings into a box. He saw a photo on his bedside table of Thomas and his mother, and decided to keep it in his pocket. He knew he wanted to track down Thomas' parents, but he'd have to entrust Liam with the responsibility while he was away at college. Casey felt overwhelmed with emotion as he found Thomas' favourite jacket. He took a sniff, and it still smelt distinctively like Thomas, or more specifically, Thomas' aftershave. Emotional though he was, Casey felt proud of himself, because although he'd lost a friend, he'd also come up with the plan to defeat Coleman, and that was no mean feat. Finally, he'd found his place in the pack.

"Have you got everything?" Melissa asked, poking her head around Scott's bedroom door.  
"I think so. I told you, I've got it covered" Scott wasn't a fan of his mum's nagging.  
"I'm sorry, I know you do. You were amazing today" Melissa smiled, feeling proud. She took a seat on the edge of Scott's bed, to his left.  
"I couldn't save everyone. And it's not over, the woman who shot Isaac is still out there" Scott reflected, feeling down on himself.  
"Liam's got things under control while you're gone. If she shows up, you can trust him" Melissa reminded.  
"He's already got his hands full with Nolan's first full moon tonight" Scott remembered, "What's the situation with you and Argent now?"  
"What he did was an accident. Nobody feels more remorse than he does right now. You can't hold a grudge against him forever, he's only human" Melissa tried to present a different point of view.  
"That's just the problem I guess. He's human and Thomas wasn't" Scott jumped to a conclusion.  
"Hey, the hunting days are behind him, don't forget that" Melissa warned.  
"Sorry. Maybe I'll feel better when I get back"  
"I'm sure you will honey. Ah, how will I cope without a messy teenager around the house?" Melissa joked.  
"Don't get too used to it" Scott laughed.  
"Hey" came a soft voice from the doorway. Scott looked up, and saw the beautiful sight of Maddie arriving.  
"Hey, come in" Scott replied, his face lighting up when he saw her. Maddie sat on the opposite side of Scott, on his right. Scott put his arms around both Melissa and Maddie.  
"I'll miss my two favourite girls" he commented, embracing them in a group hug.

"Hey, you can't chain me up like this" Nolan yelled, as he sat uncomfortably on the floor of Liam's bedroom.  
"Trust me, the alternative's worse" Liam responded, fastening the handcuffs attached to Nolan's wrist to the radiator.  
"Is this gonna happen every full moon? Do you tie yourself to the radiator too?" Nolan asked, inquisitively.  
"Not quite. You've got a lot to learn, and this is where it starts. Just remember this – at all times, remember this" Liam explained, before reciting, "Three things that can never be hidden: the sun, the moon and the truth." Nolan looked at him, considering what it meant, but before he could come to a conclusion, his eyes burst into a bright yellow, and his fangs became visible.  
"Repeat it" Liam ordered. "Three things that can never be hidden: the sun, the moon and the truth." Nolan said it, over and over again, as Liam fought to teach him the basics of control. He knew he had a long night ahead of him, but it was worthwhile and every step taken was helping Nolan become a better person. Liam felt a huge sense of pride over Nolan, and would stop at nothing to protect him.

Later that night, at the hospital, a nurse arrived. In her back pocket, a gun loaded with wolfsbane bullets was in place, and her auburn hair drooped halfway down her back.  
"Everyone at Eichen House is so sorry for the trouble earlier on. We've rounded up all of the patients now and we're looking into the issue to figure out what caused the blackout in the first place" she explained to the senior doctor.  
"No worries Mrs. Frost, thank you for your co-operation with us" the doctor replied, before heading into his office. Mrs. Frost headed towards the elevator, and made her way down to the morgue. Nobody monitored the morgue, for obvious reasons, so this allowed for an easy route in without anyone batting an eyelid. She opened one of the drawers, sliding out Thomas' dead body, paler than ever with the gunshot wound still visible.  
"Don't worry my love. I'll avenge your death. You always were a mommy's boy" she commented, before sliding the draw back in and closing it up.


End file.
